Working the Hills

After slogging along in a fairly lazy fashion (except for races) since last winter, I decided to work the hills instead of collapsing before them -- tucking in my back side, lifting my arms higher, taking shorter steps. Last Wednesday I felt tired before the last run of my 5K. But today, after a Monday trail run and hike, I felt much stronger.

The decision to work the hills instead of give into them reminded me of my youngest daughter's attitude toward failure and challenges. She doesn't give in to pity. Nor does she allow herself to become a victim. I'm not sure she even allows any time for pity. Instead she sizes up the challenge, works out a plan and moves on. When she was in elementary school, her creative choices weren't always the best ones and she found herself at odds with her teachers and mom on more than one occasion. But now she's older and wiser, and I find myself envying her gumption.

Gumption that I managed to find before the hills last week and this. Gumption I hope to find before the next challenge.