Posts tagged running
Not a Short Story
As much as I'd like to be
I have company whenever I want (or don’t want) it. I adore my girl. #dog #dogstagram #dogsofinstagram #ilovemydog #silkyterrier #silly #girl #chien #perro #funny #run #running #runner #dogoftheday #weeklyfluff
There’s nothing quite like your first run back after a week off. You feel like you’re dying, yet alive again, all at the same time. And you get to enjoy scenery like this again.
Took a little detour on my usual run route this afternoon. #run #trail #trailrunning #running #mountain #azmountains #phoenix #arizona #instaaz #instagramaz #nature #outdoors #outside #fall #autumn (Taken with Instagram at Shadow Mountain Preserve)
Made it out this morning. My lungs felt like they were 10 feet behind me the entire time. Guess that cold is still hanging on. But I feel better, nonetheless. Onward and upward!
A side note: I wish my legs were this long in real life.
Oh, crap. A rut.
I haven’t run in 5 days. As I lie in bed my body and mind are hating me for it. My body isn’t as tired as usual, so sleep isn’t coming easily.
Guess its time to fess up: I am in a rut.
But hey, it’s not like there isn’t anything going on in my life right now and I’m just being lazy (see my last post!).
There may be a little laziness mixed in there (and too much dining out). But the truth is: I am bone-tired. Physically and emotionally.
I’ve had 5 days of rest, I feel better, and, (provided my fever and sore throat stay away) will be back at it this week. And I will not beat myself up about my slacking…err, rest.
The games we play in our heads
Some days, the only way I get myself out the door and on the trail or track is by playing mind games with myself.
“Of course you’re tired. You’re always tired. If you never ran when you were tired you’d never run.”
“Stop making excuses. There are people in the world who’ve run every day for 20 years/hike in the desert in Afghanistan to save someone’s life/climb a burning building/mother children all day long and then run 5 miles at night… Do you think they make excuses?”
I’ve often found that on my worst days, those games need to continue through my route.
“This is only one hour of your entire life. You can handle being a little uncomfortable.”
Trying to make my run seem small often works for me. I’ve also found success breaking my run into chunks: only one mile left, etc. This only works in certain moods; otherwise I’m constantly checking my mileage and not giving my mind enough freedom to wander, which is one of the main reasons I enjoy running so much.
Sometimes, if I’m not doing well at all:
“You can take a break at that tree. Just get there first.”
More often than not, I don’t take a break at the tree. I keep going, because I’ve overcome what was not a physical hurdle, but a mental one.
I’ve found myself making the whiniest of excuses: too cold, no time (I never really believe that one)…etc. I’ve found that by teasing myself, sometimes mile by mile, I’ll get the job done when I’m most resistant.
And more often than not, I enjoy myself long the way.
Breathing…
I’m a daily runner, but this time of year is always the off season for me. I’m asthmatic, so every year there’s at least two months where my lungs contract every time I step outside. This year’s off season arrived early.
When I was a kid off season was all year long. We have home videos of family apple picking in the fall where I’m a snotty mess. I’m helpless, cowering in the corner, wheezing, coughing, struggling to breathe.
Luckily my allergies and asthma isn’t nearly as it was as a child. But I get a little bit of that helpless feeling again whenever my lungs start to contract again. It’s most frustrating since I’ve developed a love for running. Luckily, thanks to a few years of good yoga practice, I’ve learned some helpful breathing techniques.
Lately, it’s the mental roadblock that is hardest for me to get over.
