A runner. And a rambler.

I read something this morning that fit right in with some thoughts that I've been having lately.

On Friday, MizFit, from MizFitOnline, wrote about the quote, "You are what you repeatedly do."

(I don't want to steal her content so I won't rehash what she wrote. You can read it yourself, if you are interested. And, by the way, if you don't already visit her site you really, really should. It's awesome.)

I've been thinking around that idea for a while -- thinking about habits, thoughts, etc. But, until I read MizFit's post I didn't actually think about how what I do really is who I am. When you stop to think about it, it's pretty heavy! "You are what you repeatedly do."

So, am I a runner? Sure, I repeatedly run. I ran while away on our little beach trip (twice!) and I run regularly in general. I like to run. I consider myself a runner. I run. I'm a runner.

But what else? I'm giving some thought to the whole personal side but since this is a running blog I'll skip that. As a runner, who am I? What do I repeatedly do?

Looking at my logs, I'm a 4-5 mile, mid-paced runner. I say I want to be faster but I'm not repeatedly running fast. I say I'd like some more endurance but I'm not repeatedly running longer distances. I say I love running hills and -- well, whaddya know? I repeatedly run hills!

I go back and forth with the quality of my running. Some months are filled with quality runs, others not so much. Some months are filled with purpose and, again, others not so much. What do I really want as a runner, I wonder? Yes, I'd like to run a sub-23 minute 5k. And, I'd like to run a marathon next year. But those are specific goals, they aren't definitions of me, the runner.

Or, are they? If I look at that and think about what it is I am doing, I see that I am striving. I'm striving to be a better runner. I'm striving to figure out the balance with my running and my life, as well as with hard and easy runs. I repeatedly strive to do better. To run more sensibly. To run better.

I guess that's who I am right now: A striving runner. Beyond that, I'm still figuring it out. I don't want to sell myself short by not pushing toward my goals but I also don't ever want to burn out and not enjoy running. So I'll think some more about this idea, "You are what you repeatedly do." Striving runner. And hill runner, mom runner, mid-pack runner, happy runner. Runner. Those definitions work. I might be more. We'll see.

Right now, it seems like I'm a bit of a rambler! Sheesh! So I'll just wrap up and send you all some (late) happy Monday wishes. I'm trying to get back in the groove after a long weekend away. And the sun has been shining all day. Woo hoo! Could July really be the sunny month I've been hoping for? My fingers are crossed for that to be the case!

~ Felice