I miss running.

I was in a bad car accident this past April 26th and I hurt my lower back. After many weeks of physical therapy, pain medication that I didn't like to take, and an odd familiarity with an orthopedist's office, I still can't run. It is now several months later.

I have tried walking and have even tried some different plans for getting back into running after injury, but nothing has worked. I ran a mile twice, and three miles once, but the pain the following days afterwards told me that it was definitely not the right thing to do.

I went from running an average 20-25 miles per week to walking just a couple of miles each week. The soreness of exercising again feels so good because of the desire that I have to do something to improve myself physically, but it's not running.

I used to dislike running a lot. It was something I forced myself to do to relax and de-stress. Running was the time for me to listen to my Jesus jams on the ipod and focus on focusing. Running was the time when no one could interrupt me. Running was the time when I could clear my head, take a deep breath (sometimes literally) and allow the Lord to renew me. Now I don't have that. I miss it. I miss that time. It was almost sacred to me.