Hello Sobriety

Yep. Thats right. Run. As in lace up your trainers and hit the trails, the road, the treadmill, whatever. Just hit it. One foot in front of the other. One stride at a time. Just run. Several years ago, eight to be exact, I was living in Chicago. I had a really great job at a global advertising agency (even though at the time, I was much less appreciative), my own condo, and a solid yoga and running practice. I ran most mornings at 5am before going to work.And would end most evenings with a hot yoga practice and, ahem, a bottle of wine if the mood hit… But this story is more about running than drinking… so let’s get back on track. Overall, life was really good. My running was solid. Like super solid. At one point, I even ran an accidental half marathon (you read that correctly. An accidental 13.1 miles.) I was feeling strong. I could lace up my sneakers without any doubt that I couldn’t finish the run I set out to do. All in all, life was good. Fast forward to today… I’ve been laid off....

Ok, so let me begin by saying, I have never been a runner. Never. Not in high school. Not in college. Whenever anyone would ask about running, I was the girl that would snicker and say, "I only run when being chased." Well, not so much any more. Last year, I signed up to attend Wanderlust here in Chicago. Wanderlust is a national festival that moves from city to city and consists of a 5K (3.1 miles), an hour of yoga and wraps up with group meditation. Being the dedicated yogini that I am, I mostly signed up for the yoga and meditation, but figured what the heck. I'll give the 5k a whirl. So I invited a dear friend of mine to attend the event with me. I'll never forget the rainy, grey Chicago day. Not ideal for yoga in the grass. But I digress, first to the race. I remember telling my friend that I have no idea how this is going to go so if she wants to just take off, I'll meet her back at the finish line. (I should note that my friend is a trained athlete who comp...