Tender Moments

A Tender Moment is…

a moment that stops you in your tracks,
a moment that can bring you to your knees,
make you cry,
inflict pain,
bring joy
and ultimately grow you.
-Chrissy Calderwood

My Tender Moment started last night. Rex and I went on a dinner date to one of our favorite restaurants, Outback, with one of our favorite couples, who happen to be hard-core athletes. It was delightful. We laughed through dinner and stopped at Starbucks on the trip home. Throughout the evening I was inspired a bit to step up my running regimen. I’ve fallen slightly off schedule as the temperatures have risen in Phoenix. Typically, the higher the temperatures rise, the less miles I log but this time I decided...I’m going to run through the heat.

And that was the beginning of my Tender Moment.

Today’s high is 115! I did not know this when I made the mental commitment to run today.

            Phoenix 5-Day Forecast:  
      
            Today     Thurs.     Fri.       Sat.      Sun.
High    115         113        110      110      111   
Low     79           80          78        77        80

I discussed my plan with Rex and he encouraged me to go out for the run. I put on my cute little LuLu Lemon clothes, grabbed a water bottle and hit the pavement. “Not so bad,” I thought. “And I really like this song playing.” Plus my watch displayed a not-so-common quick pace. As I made it through the first mile, I began to thirst….for a cold shower and my a/c. It was a quick mile, but my cool arms and legs from being in the house had warmed up to fire engine red and were drenched with sweat. And so I stopped in my tracks to take a drink of water.

No, I did not fall to my knees, but it crossed my mind. That could be a great tactic to gain a ride home from a passing neighbor.

No, I wasn’t crying, it just looked like I was with the sweat beading up on my cheeks.

Yes, I was in pain. This was not one of my more comfortable runs.

The amount of joy I felt when I turned the last corner to my house was immeasurable as I inched back toward the a/c I love so much.

Yes, this run definitely grew me. Sometimes when you want something enough, you’re going to have Tender Moments while getting where you’re going. Life’s not easy, and neither was my run. But I’m better for it. I made it through it, and I’m a little bit stronger for it (and no, I am not endorsing running in ridiculous “heat advisory” temperatures).

Whatever your Tender Moment is, I urge you to embrace it. Go where it takes you. Grow from it. You’ll be a stronger person for gutting it out!