Now, I don't really like talking about my workout routine, because I'm always scared people will take it as bragging or something. I don't know if that's true, but I'm going to do it anyway.
When I'm jogging I'm constantly asking God for help. I tell him I can't do it on my own, and I thank him for getting me where I am. I always have this wish to tell people why I run, but that's not a question one's usually asked. The usual reason would probably be for fitness or leisure, I suppose, but I run only because I can.
Tara, my wonderful college roommate probably understands better than most. Sophomore year I gave up sleeping in my bunk bed because I couldn't climb down in the morning. When I woke up it would take me many minutes and lots of pain to get down the hall to the bathroom.
Long story short, I was never diagnosed with arthritis, but from everything I experienced that's my best suspicion as to what it was/is. I was put on an anti-inflammatory for awhile, and my sleeping patterns DRASTICALLY changed. That's probably what helped more than anything else. If I get very little sleep still, I can feel my feet starting to ache. Unlike most people, my feet tell me when it's time to go to bed.
What this has to do with running is: I couldn't walk. I missed classes sometimes because I couldn't walk to them. When I heard the word "arthritis" I thought I was doomed for the rest of my life. Then, maybe a year or two later, I had no pain. I could run, so I did.
Sometimes I feel like I may be living in the past, but when I'm nearing the end of mile two and feel completely exhausted, I try to remember how much pain I had then, and mile two is nothing. I remind myself that God has shown me he can take away my ability to walk. He's shown me that walking is nothing but a gift. I don't have to deal with foot pain, it's completely gone. I can run now, so I do.
