Struggle
November 11th, 2011 § 1 Comment
In the movies, everyone encounters hardship and difficulty. But in the movies that I like to watch, adversity is a part of the plot which you can rely upon to end happily. Sure, maybe things didn’t turn out the way you thought at the beginning of the movie, but the adversity is definitely confined to a section in the middle, after the optimistic beginning and before the rewarding ending.
We all know life is not really like that, but somehow I for one still get surprised by how long and varied the adversity can last in real life. (And I’ve had it pretty easy!)
I signed up for being a runner expecting it to be hard. I knew being a runner would require both effort and perseverance. What I did not expect was set-back after set-back. First it was problems with getting sick. Then my knee, then getting sick again, then my foot. Finally I think I have it all together and I fail to notice a rock in the path and roll my ankle. (It was the steamed up glasses – they weren’t in the screenplay.)
There comes a day when you have to ask yourself where your motivation comes from. If the answer is tangible achievement, it might be hard to justify keeping on going. But, even though it’s not going the way you expected, if you’re not ready to bail yet, then you and I are running the same race. See you at the next pit stop?
Fueling
November 3rd, 2011 § Leave a Comment
In running they call eating “fueling.” It sounds kind of gross, as though eating were not a pleasure – just a necessary function.
I used to avoid eating before a run because I didn’t want a stomach ache. And I ate lightly after runs – it seemed crazy to me to eat if I wasn’t very hungry. After all, I did not want to gain back all those calories that I had just burned.
However, in my running log, my coach noticed that I was tired on my runs, and tired after my long runs… tired all day. She felt strongly that this should not be the case. She talked to me about fueling. This is what she said:
- Eat something light before an early morning weekday run even if you are not hungry.
- Get up earlier and eat something substantial two hours before a long run.
- Have some energy drink or eat a gel every half hour during a long run.
- After a long run eat something right away like a smoothie or yogurt with fruit. Then within an hour have a substantial meal.
I found this advice hard to take. I did not want to get up earlier to eat. I have food allergies, so finding a energy gel I can eat is kind of a pain. Running with a fuel belt is hard because the bottles joggle! And most of all, one of the payoffs of running for me is weight control. I did not want to consume more calories. (At least, not unless it was fun stuff like wine and dessert!)
I did take my coach’s advice, though. I started to eat a half a banana before heading out the door for a short weekday run. I got up earlier on Sundays to eat a good breakfast two hours before running. I found an energy drink that agrees with me. I am still working on running smoothly (which is better form anyway) so the fuel belt does not joggle. I have learned to plan for a substantial meal an hour after a long run.
And guess what? Apparently I am “fit” enough to run without getting tired. That is – if I have had enough to eat. I am no longer tired for the rest of the day after a long run. My weight has gone down and my energy has gone up.
Without knowing what I was doing I had been starving myself, and so I was tired. Lots of us get mixed up on that one. Creating eating habits that are in balance with lots of exercise takes work and smarts – and sometimes a little good advice! Thanks coach!
Graceful
October 21st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a dancer. I think most kids want to be graceful, fast, light on their feet. Some kids do become graceful or athletic, but for lots of us, the reality is not quite what we hoped for.
I didn’t get interested in running until middle age. What caught my attention was meeting older runners and noticing how they moved. I noticed that older people who run seemed to move differently than most. They were more graceful. That old longing to be good on my feet woke up again.
Seven years after taking up running I still walk into stationary objects and trip on flat floors. But even though my inherent clumsiness has persisted, I do walk and run more easily and effortlessly than I did seven years ago. In middle age, any such progress is worth celebrating. So although I am working towards something I can never truly achieve, I have already achieved something.
What early longings do you have that you might still pursue some day? Take it from me, it’s worth the journey, even though you already know you will never reach the destination.
Keeping a steady pace
October 13th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
I look forward to long runs. I feel relaxed when I set out. There are miles to go and pushing at the outset won’t get me there. I know that I will need a steady, easy pace in order to go the distance.
Oddly, I am less relaxed with shorter runs. I feel rushed, as though I need to get my run over with so I can move on to the other things on my list. I often feel more tired on a short run than on a long run.
Pace is important in any undertaking. The days that I arrive at work in a panic to get a lot done are often not very productive. When I take time to plan my route through the tasks of the day, and keep a steady pace, I get the most done and enjoy the most job satisfaction.
Is it possible to set a more relaxed pace even when the run is short?
What could be done to bring a sense of pace to the days that are all chopped up with interruptions and demands?
Knowing when to stop
September 19th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Last summer when my husband and I drove to Bella Coola to visit friends, I got so intoxicated with the vast expanse of BC’s interior, and the amazing momentum of the Fraser River cutting through the province, that I decided we should follow the Fraser to its source – on our way home. My husband pointed out reasonably that this would add hundreds and hundreds of miles to our already lengthy drive. I rather ungraciously conceded the point, pretending that the deteriorating weather was my reason for giving up on my plan.
This characteristic of keeping-on-going-no-matter-what causes problems for my body as well as for my husband. My body is happy that I have decided to become a runner, but it wishes I could be more patient. I keep running too far, too often, too hard – and getting sick or injured. In this case, I don’t usually concede the point until it’s too late and I am on the sidelines.
I have a new goal. My new goal is to practice what I recently heard called the virtue of temperance – defined as “moderation or self-restraint in action, statement, etc.; self-control.” I am great at self control when it comes to forging ahead no matter what. I am not so great at self control when it comes to knowing when to stop.
On Friday I was feeling really tired, so instead of doing my scheduled 40 minute run, I went for a 40 minute walk, and rearranged my weekend to give myself some breathing room. Yay me!
Then yesterday, I ran so far in the morning that my whole body ached and I spent the day in a glassy-eyed stupor.
Temperance. Does anybody else have trouble with this one?
Coming out on top
September 11th, 2011 § 2 Comments
Exercise can be very soothing.
One evening last week I felt all hot and bothered. I could think of lots of things to blame, but I wasn’t honestly sure whether any or all of those things were causing my agitation. It wasn’t a running day for me, and it felt too hot for a strength workout. I didn’t want to feel all blamey. I just wanted to feel happier.
Oh just go take a hike, was the advice of my inner runner.
I grabbed a sandwich and headed for the top of a local mountain. The hike took me uphill for about an hour, working fairly hard. It was very still and unseasonably warm. I climbed slowly but steadily, thinking through my day, stopping to drink water and listen to the ravens clucking and chattering high over my head.
When I got to the top I sat for a few minutes to take in the view. There was only an hour of daylight left, and I did not want to get caught out in the dark. I took a deep breath.
I thought, I am expecting a lot of myself. This is why I feel hot and bothered.
Slow down, my inner runner advised. Enjoy being alive.
I made my way slowly down the mountain in a much better frame of mind. Some folks meditate, and others find peace of mind in gardening or reading. For me, nothing beats a good workout to settle me down and give me a sense of perspective. What works for you?
New Beginnings
September 6th, 2011 § 2 Comments
One of the difficulties with a commitment to exercise is that you have to keep starting over. What worked last year, or last season, just doesn’t work anymore. Maybe your routines have changed, maybe your schedule has changed, maybe your body’s needs have changed.
These are signs that you need something new:
- a drop in motivation
- feelings of discouragement
- a lack of progress in spite of reasonable effort
- boredom with your routine
Note: A need for change is different from resistance, which is just your inner teenager wanting to stay in bed. Here’s how to tell the difference: If it’s resistance, getting out and doing the dreaded workout will immediately make you feel better. But if the feelings listed above just come back again, you may truly need a change.
The important thing is to get some new input. Re-running old episodes of your proven strategies may not do the trick, even though they feel safer! Take a chance, expose yourself to something new.
September is a great time to start something new. I guess those back-to-school muscles never completely lose their memory! I have decided to try replacing one of my weekly workouts with a Pilates class. What about you? Are you ready for a change too?
The Inner Tsunami
August 27th, 2011 § Leave a Comment
There are situations in life that produce an inner tsunami of stress. All it takes is a tiny brush with a certain kind of situation and WHOOOSH! There it goes. And there we go as well, swept out to sea in a massive wave of stress and upset.
Usually, the situation itself does not cause the tsunami. The situation triggers the tsunami, but the huge wave comes from the past, from situations that are long since behind us.
When I go for a run, I often think about the situations in my life which produce that stress reaction. I notice that although that wave is powerful, it is just a conditioned reaction. It does not line up with my values, my hopes, my dreams, my essential optimism.
In going for a run, I am choosing a positive action with positive consequences. Running is my proof to myself that I am capable of change.
In that stress tsunami I want to choose detachment. I want to choose to let the wave pass rather than jump in and be swept out to sea on a tide of negative emotion.
My goal is to be left standing, so I can pick up the pieces and move on.
Winning
August 21st, 2011 § Leave a Comment
Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up. ~ Amby Burfoot, The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of Life
Most days don’t have races anyway. But most days do require struggle and effort and optimism. For me running is putting my body where my mouth is. Running is a physical expression of the struggle and effort and optimism that I need in everyday living. Living it out in my running helps to solidify my determination to never, ever, ever give up.
What is hard in your life? How do you renew your commitment to the struggle and the effort and the optimism?
Whatever you do, that’s where you are going to be a winner. Even if no one else ever sees you doing it.
Work
August 14th, 2011 § 4 Comments
Looking after ourselves is part of our work, work from which there will be no retirement. When I see an older person out with their walker or riding in their motorized wheelchair I am always filled with admiration.
Think of the time, the commitment, the effort and courage to prepare oneself to go out – when just getting dressed is a huge effort. It would be so much easier to stay home.
For me, getting out for a run may feel hard, but it’s not as hard as it is for that older person getting out to take the air, meet a friend for coffee, or pick up a few groceries.
It’s the same work, and it shows the same commitment – to feeling alive, to staying as well as you can, to showing up for the next day of your life.
I’m in training for the day I need a walker. Seriously!
