Better Today Than Yesterday

This morning I went running. It was the second time in a row that I went without a watch and/or my iPhone. When I’m training for a race, or running a race, I NEED to have music. The beat is vital. And, I’ve always been a person whose world is dominated by time (although, I’ve relaxed a ton in that department) J But, I still really like to know exactly how far and how fast I’ve gone (as you probably know by seeing my RunKeeper feed).

Since I’m not training for any races, today’s run was just an outing to shake out the legs, to get some fresh air, and to get Gidget out and burn some energy. It was a crisp morning, but the sun started peeping through the clouds and it felt really awesome on my skin. I took in big full breaths and soaked up all the beauty surrounding me. The thought that kept going through my head was “Well, I’m not training, I’m doing this for fun.” And, I know some of you who hate running and think it’s absolutely crazy…but, running (and working out in general) is a place of calm for me. It’s where I work out dilemmas, it’s where I de-stress, it’s really where I sort through my life.

I run races to compete against others, yes...But the number one reason I enter races is to compete against myself. To do better than I did the last race. And, even though I’m not training for anything at the moment, I still had the thought that I’m doing this to be better than I was yesterday. It doesn’t mean I’m doing it to have a faster time than I had yesterday. Today, my definition of better was to just feel good. To feel at peace. To feel calm. To feel good about being out and about and enjoying the day. To carpe diem. To run because the weather was nice. To run because I could.

This week, think about what you’re doing each day…and, ask yourself, I am better than I was yesterday?