Like Depeche Mode, I have found my personal Jesus

Like Depeche Mode, I have found my personal Jesus... in running!

The lyrics to this song flashed in my head as I was pounding my feet on the pavement. The sun was rising, I was surrounded by thousands of people, but I could have sworn I was all alone. The air was cool and fresh, as the waves crashed and waved to me. I had one of those great moments when you feel connected with the world and super glad to be alive.

                “Reach out and touch faith
                Your own Personal Jesus
                Someone to hear your prayers
                Someone who cares
                Your own Personal Jesus
                Someone to hear your prayers
                Someone who's there…”

This past weekend my aunt and cousin came from Orlando to run the A1A Half-Marathon with me. It’s a fun course that takes you by bars and restaurants (which are usually full of people trying to get a drink at the bar – myself included), through a shady park, and ends by the shore side.  I hadn’t run a race before or run farther than 8 miles (why would I?) so I was unsure of how I would like it or how my body would hold up. About 30 min into the race, the sun started to rise, as it was about 6:30am, and even though it was slightly cloudy, the sky was filled with a beautiful arrangement of oranges, yellows, and pinks to finally reveal our trusty friend that provides us with a warmth and vitamin D - the sun. I was listening to a great song and felt so happy and SO FREE! There is something about running that makes me feel like the freest person in the world – like I can do anything, go anywhere, or just keep running like Forest Gump and never look back. 

When I finished, my left knee felt like a blown-out tire, my butt was burning, my hamstring was tight and throbbing and somehow I was ecstatic. I kept thinking, when can I run my next race?! Others did not not have had such a pleasant experience; the guy that finished next to me puked about 30 seconds after crossing the finish line and there was a man with blood all over his shirt, which I was informed was from his shirt chaffing his nipples (OUCH!).

For me, running clears my head, relieves my stress, and makes me feel better about everything. For others, this may be spending time with kids, cooking, cleaning, working 60+ hours a week, yoga, shopping, etc. I think the point is, whatever makes YOU happy and works for YOU is what you need to focus on. Running a race was on my bucket list, so now I look forward to whatever my next escapade may be. What's on your bucket list? If you don't have one, you need to make one!

Continuously setting goals (of any kind) is the key to motivating yourself to get out of bed every day with a go-get-em attitude and a pep in your step. Even if you set small goals or make minuscule changes to your routine, they eventually they will add up and you will feel better about yourself. Sometimes you just have to do what makes you happy, even of other people think it’s weird or don't agree.

Be happy and find your personal Jesus!