Life Lessons of an Ameteur Runner: When You Work Hard, Your Play Is That Much Sweeter

We have all heard of the saying "work hard, play hard." I can't count how many times I have said this to myself. When I first set out on this running adventure over a year ago I would tell myself that if I wanted to watch this movie or eat this desert then I had to go for a run first. "Work hard and THEN play hard, Linda" is what I would say to myself. But as I have increased in self-confidence in my ability to survive running, I began to actually crave going for a run. Running switched from being my "work" to my "play." And I have found that when I work hard, my play is that much sweeter.
For instance, this weekend I had some things that I needed to do for school, but I knew that I also wanted to go for a "country" run and make some banana bread. So I told myself that I had to do my school work first and then I could play. I spent about four hours on lesson planning, and then I went to map a new running route. I found a nice secluded gravel, country road that looked free of stray dogs. (Last weekend I went on a different country road and literally thought that I was going to lose a leg to a couple of dogs that were not fenced in. Luckily, the dogs just let me turn around and go all body parts intact.)Then today, I made some caramel popcorn and some banana bread from over ripe bananas we had.
Now I know my definition of play is really different from other individuals, but to each their own, right? What I consider "play" are things that I do just for myself. Like running, trying new recipes, reading, crafts, watching movies and TV, and of course hanging out with my hubbie, friends and family. Here are some pictures of my play from this weekend.