The pagan calendar recognizes a season between winter and spring with the celebration of Imbolc, which falls halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Pagans are on to something. Right around this time of year the branches start to look a little thicker, the light starts to change, and I start to feel it in my gut. Even on the coldest days, certain clothing that was comfortable on an equally cold day in December feels confining. My thermostat starts to change. I get restless. I troll eBay for vintage sundresses.
Imbolc is also the festival of plows, the maiden, and lactating sheep, but for me, Imbolc is the festival of the treadmill. It has happened every year for the past six years or so; sometime in February I just want to run, and run, and run, and I do. I run until spring. I usually get to a few miles feeling comfortable and I start thinking about signing up for 5k races, and then my back quits and I go back to walking.
After six years I have figured out that rather than try to turn myself into a runner (which I am NOT – a ten minute mile is super speedy for me), rather than always building toward a 5k, then a 10k and so on, I might as well just enjoy the running for a few months out of the year. Every year I start out a little stronger. The first year, I could barely run for five minutes, the next year wasn’t much better, even though I was in better shape. By last year, when I started I could make it about a mile and half if I did intervals. Tonight was my second time on the treadmill this year, and I ran for a solid half hour, with effort, but it wasn’t bad at all, even with a bruised toe.
Some people go from the couch to a marathon in a matter of months. For me, the progress is over years. I think I like that better. It is one thing to look back and know that I am in better shape than I was a few months ago; it is quite another to see the changes over years and know that I am still getting stronger.
With that, I am off to eBay to look for some vintage dresses to adorn this strong, maiden body of mine. And also sports bras.
