The Power of Pavement

I was never a huge fan of running. I never understood how people became addicted to it. I've always considered myself a pretty active person and will do what I need to keep in shape, but running was never at the top of the list of preferred activities. That is, until I became a mom.
During the first few months of motherhood, I questioned every decision I made when it came to my son, Carter. I constantly worried if one decision would create a bad habit and ultimately ruin him for life {insane, I know}. While those thoughts become less intense as I become more comfortable in this role, they are ever present. Add to that a marriage, meals to prepare, and a house to maintain and you've got yourself a constant stream of mindless tasks and thoughts. Like 24 hour talk radio.
But as I tie my tennis shoe laces and slip my ipod ear buds into my ears and press play, that chatter becomes less and less obtrusive. By the time I leave the driveway it's almost completely silenced, and as I pick up my pace from a walk to a run nothing else exists. I know that for the next 45 minutes it's all about me and how much my body can take. For those 45 minutes I'm not a mom, I'm not a wife, I'm not a cook, I'm not a maid....I am just Heather. I match my stride to the beat of the music blasting in my ears and push my body to the next stop sign, then to the next, then the next. I push through every muscle in my legs screaming for rest. My mind can't focus on anything other than breathing, the pain in my legs and the pavement in front of me.There is no room here for stress, worry, guilt or anger. It is my chance to succeed and overrule all of the failures of the day, week, or year. The pavement doesn't judge. It doesn't need me to be a perfect mom, or a wife who says all the right things. It doesn't need me to be a good listener or a shoulder to cry on.  It doesn't need anything....but I need it.  And so began my love affair with pavement.  :)