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I avoid the carwash when I think it might rain anytime in the near future, which means I drive around the majority of the time in a pollen and bird poop covered car. This presents a stand off between Neat Freakshow and Practical Pennypincher, and Neat Freak usually triumphs. And then it rains.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"A Void Filled", Runner's World, Apr. 30, 2014
Perhaps love's greatest gift--that it is indeed unconditional--is also its greatest curse.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
O Magazine, Feb. 2007
Every mile marker can be met with some measure of trepidation, in a race or in life. Am I on target? Do I have what it takes to finish strong? Am I taking care to stay nourished so I can endure? Is my training proving to be sufficient? Am I prepared for the hills? It is impossible to fathom the full distance, so we make our way to the next mile marker, and the next, checking in with ourselves as we go.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
Mile Markers
Running is a grownup's lost link to playing outside.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"See Vous Play", Runner's World, Jun. 20, 2014
I love the thought of not knowing how things will turn out but the willingness to invest anyway.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
Mile Markers
Running has taken me in and continues to comfort, heal, and challenge me in all kinds of magical ways. I am not a good runner because I am me; I am a good me because I am a runner.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
Mile Markers
I love sweat. I love the way it purges a hangover, leaving you ravenous and ready for a new day. I love the way you can feel the toxins push through your pores and drain away. I love the skinny feeling after a waterlogged slog, even when intellectually you know you have only lost water weight. Emotionally and hormonally, it feels much more substantial. Sweat can purge a menstrual mood, a snarky attitude, or the propensity to pick a fight, enabling the sweater to return home a much more pleasant person. I like the way my skin feels after a good sweat--clean, taut, and hydrated. It is even possible to sweat so much that the initial smell eventually runs clean, purified like water.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"Cure For Anything", Runner's World, Jun. 9, 2014
Sweat has the power to end a pity party in such a way that even the hostess is happy.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"Cure For Anything", Runner's World, Jun. 9, 2014
We postpone the finality of heartbreak by clinging to hope. Though this might be acceptable during early or transitional stages of grief, ultimately it is no way to live. We need both hands free to embrace life and accept love, and that's impossible if one hand has a death grip on the past.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
O Magazine, Feb. 2007
It truly is a little intimidating to go speak at a middle school. Sure, on one hand the kids are only around 13 years old, but on the other hand, merely going back there reactivates the dorky, miserable feeling of being that age again. It isn't easy. As soon as I arrived I could almost feel the braces on my teeth, the don't-look-at-me slouch of my shoulders, the feathered wings of my bangs.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"Turning the Table", Runner's World
There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
Runner's World
Embrace your sweat. It is your essence and your emancipation.
KRISTIN ARMSTRONG
"Cure For Anything", Runner's World, Jun. 9, 2014