I had a really nice run today. The weather was perfect…sunny but not overly hot with a little bit of a breeze. My goal was to run 2.84 miles…I wanted to cross the 10 mile mark and earn my first badge for the challenge. It is the Llama level. I made it 2.88 miles. It did get a bit rough around 2.25 miles and I struggled through the last .6, but was happy to reach my goal.

Miles Run: 2.88
Time: 32 minutes, 40 seconds
Miles to Go: 89.96
Days to Go: 123
Average Miles Per Day Needed: 0.73

I had some deep thoughts while I was running. Well, maybe they weren’t deep…maybe they were obvious thoughts. Maybe they were just thoughts.

Anyway, just under a mile into the run I was going up a bit of a steep hill and it had me thinking about just doing two miles today. It was difficult and I wanted the run to be over. However, I decided to wait until I got past the hill before making that decision. And a metaphor for life hit me there.

In my life, I do my best to not make a decision when things are difficult. Looking back, during times when I did make a big decision while going through a difficult time, I have regretted it. It’s the wrong time to make a big decision. To continue the metaphor, maybe you make some small adjustments, like slow down a bit, drink some water or maybe even walk. When things are tough, your mind gets clouded and it is the wrong time to make big decisions. In difficult times, when staring straight up a hill, you don’t have the proper view of the big picture. It’s more difficult to see what is up ahead of you when a hill stands in your way and you have sweat in your eyes.

On the flip of that, big decisions during easy times (or when running downhill), isn’t always the best idea, either. With gravity helping you, you can’t possibly make a big decision that will be the right one for when you don’t have the help.

It’s when the road is flat – even – with the lessons learned of running up the hills and running back down to guide you is when the big decisions should be made in life.

I had a lot of other random thoughts, including thoughts about the path in the picture above. The straight path going up hill, suddenly goes into the shadows and turns away, concealing what lies ahead. The path spends so much time in the darkness that it is covered in moss. It can be a bit concerning when you approach it, but this little path emerges from the trees into a beautiful sunny meadow, full of butterflies and flowers. Full of life. I love that section of the path.

Another 90 miles and you will be tired of my heavy handed metaphors for life.

Andrea found this challenge online to run 100 miles between now and the end of the year. I have been wanting to run more consistently and have also been wanting to write more often, so I thought it was perfect. I figure I could run and document it here in my blog.