Is pride a bad thing?

Do you know what the best feeling in the world is? Well, maybe not the best feeling, but a really good one anyway. Don't know? I'll tell you, but I have to set it up first. Today, I got on the treadmill for a run. I know, I know, I hate the treadmill too but it's been really yucky and humid and icky outside all week so I've had to suffer through the boredom that is known as running on a treadmill. Anyway, I get on the treadmill today and start my run and my legs feel really heavy. That was probably because Bruce's yoga class last night seriously kicked my ass. So, after I had finally worked up to running four miles the other day, I quickly decided that I would not be able to run that far today. I was hoping to make it a measley three-mile run. I had hit 3 miles when an older gentlemen walked up to my treadmill and said something that I couldn't hear because my IPod was turned up so loud. I had to ask him to repeat himself several times and when I finally understood him I realized that he said, very affectionately, "You don't need to run that machine down. Save some for the rest of us old folks." Or he said something like that. I've been running on the same machine all week and he's always there so I suppose he's noticed me this week. For some reason, his words really motivated me and I didn't want to stop running. So I didn't. I ran for four miles. When I was cooling down, I noticed myself smiling. I was so proud of myself for pushing through when I thought I wouldn't be able to. Is that bad? I also felt really good physically, so that could have been part of it.

In yoga, I've learned that you don't always have to push yourself to your edge. I've learned that with running too, but when you don't think you can do something and then you end up doing it anyway, there's a reason why you went there. Make sense? My legs were so tired today but I found the motivation to push through and I shouldn't feel guilty for being proud of it, right? I didn't think so because I don't. Then I think that there are marathon runners who run four miles as a warm up so it's all relative.