Runstreak Day #298 - necessary normal

Today has been a bit of a tough day - we had to go to the police station to make statements and it was an hour and a half of reliving it which was stressful beforehand, difficult to get through and exhausting afterwards.  As I was talking to the officer about the impact it's had on me, something occurred to me.  I was talking about the panic I feel when I've driven (I've managed once and it was awful) and when I've walked on my own.  And I realised that although my running has been painful and stupidly hard work for the last 10 days, I haven't felt that same crushing panic which has happened when I've walked / driven.

When I run, I feel in control.  My body might feel alien to me because of various pains / problems right now... but I feel so much less vulnerable when I'm running.  For a while every day for the past 10 days, I've struggled, but I've found a little piece of life which I felt was still in my control.  When everything else has felt like it's sliding away from me, running is still mine.

This evening, I ran with Sweatshop.  I ran with a friend who is always lovely company.  I ran slowly.  It was painful.  I'm still wheezy from the tonsillitis / chest infection I've had.  But I'm still running.

If you have the chance to grab a bit of life just for yourself, you want to hold onto it really tightly.  Because when things are tough, it makes all the difference.  Running every day has made running part of my normal life - and I need normal right now.

298 days is a powerful amount of normal.

Geeky stats stuff

Distance:	3.48 mi
Time:	33:12
Avg Pace:	9:33 min/mi
Elevation Gain:	140 ft