I've mentioned before how therapeutic running is for me from a mental health standpoint; the endorphins offer a natural "feel good" high and the act of running actually helps to burn off some of the stress chemicals in your body (like extra adrenaline that hangs around when we get stressed).
Besides these physical benefits I've always found running to offer helpful analogies to life...For example, if I'm running and it's windy or my body is feeling tired I find myself comparing this feeling to life; life is not always easy, sometimes it feels like forces are actually acting against you, blowing you back, but the important thing is to keep going. That is what running teaches me to do; to keep going when things get hard.
Perhaps that is why after almost five weeks of not training because of a sprained ankle, and almost convincing myself that it was probably not a good idea to run this half marathon at the end of May because I really wanted my ankle to heal fully, I find myself back in the game.
I was out running one night last week, having a really great run, and felt this drive to recommit to the race...I think partially for all of the reasons I started in the first place, the most important of them being there are SO many things as a mother that I start and simply do not have the time to finish (house projects, photo albums, organizational projects, writing ideas, etc.) that I don't want this to be another thing to add to the list.
I also found myself laughing when I realized that this training process has become analogous to my life. As a mother it seems that almost EVERYTHING I do comes at a slower pace than I'd like these days because interruptions of some sort always surface-- unexpected doctor's appointments, sick children, teething and bad days all throw wrenches into my set plans.
In the same way, the ankle thing came up and threw a pause into my training. In some ways I need to find the momentum that I lost...I feel like I'm making slower progress than I would have liked...but at this stage of life it's not about how long it takes to get there it's about the finished product, or race in this case!
So, I'm recommitting. At a bit of a slower pace, but recommitting nonetheless.
My training for the last week has been as follows:
Tue: cross trainer: 35 min.
Wed: 3miles
Thur: 4.5 miles
Fri: rest
Sat: 7.2 miles
Sun: 45 min. cross trainer
Mon: 4.5 miles
Way to go Lisa! I admire your perseverance through this hurdle. I enjoy your entries and am glad you are willing to share your struggles and satisfactions life has handed to you. Miss you guys, tell the rest of the family hi for us.
ReplyDeleteTanya