Here are some ridiculously obvious although possibly interesting observations I made as I reflect on my latest least favorite activity. :)
I took up running last year from the encouragement of a good friend. I was a track and field girl in high school but sprinting, hurdling and jumping were my thing. Even back then, I don't think I could run a half mile (I distinctly remember running to a hiding spot and then faking the return as if I had just done the mile warmup -shhhhh!)
When I started again at 43, I hadn't run in over 20 years. It wasn't pretty. My first time out, I ran about a quarter mile and thought I was going to die. I considered giving up but instead opted to push forward. I added a quarter mile each time out as the 'Couch to 5K' apps suggest. If you had watched me at the end of each of my runs, you'd have thought I completed a marathon with all the panting and sweating and awkward body movements. Knowing that my whole workout is really just a warm up for real runners both pissed me off and motivated me to finish. And certainly in the beginning, the word "run" was debatable. I actually had to start to ponder what made the run a run.
(Note: for me, the first quarter mile is still the hardest).
And for reasons not entirely clear to me, I persevered.
When I told my family practitioner that I had started running for exercise, he asked "do you hate it yet?"
Why yes I do!
But running as a form of exercise had some obvious conveniences for me. First, it's the perfect poor girl sport. All I needed was a decent pair of running shoes and these special socks. (Which seem pricey for socks but they last forever.)
Second, for the busy, working, mom, running gets you the most bang for your time. With an at-home warm up, you're gone, door to door, in no more than 30 minutes (on a good day for me!) Not sure any other workout can do as much in as little time.
I'm not, of course, a "real runner". Here's how I know.
*First, I don't run far. I don't want to run far. I am confident that I will never run far!
*Second, I only run in perfect weather conditions which include both temperature and WIND!
*Third, it has never gotten easier.
*Fourth and finally, I have never experienced this "runners high" that real runners speak about. My friend, a real runner, keeps telling me that the first FIVE miles are the toughest. "After that, it gets easier," she says. How cute she is! (Keri M!) I look at people like her with the same skepticism I have for people who tell me how great they feel since they've given up pasta. Yeah... OK..... sure.
So despite my disdain for the activity, I have kept at it (except for the winter-and a long winter it was). I even ran (slowly) a few 5ks. My goal was always just to finish and not come in last place. (I like to set simple, easily attainable goals or just keep the bar low enough so I can feel like a success). Most importantly, I've noticed that there are some lessons I have re-learned from running: lessons I can apply to how I live my life. So in the spirit of stating the obvious, here goes.
7 Life Lessons Learned from Running
1) Enjoy the view!
I have not tried running on a treadmill. I know I would hate it too much. Part of what gets me through my 30 minutes is knowing that I'm actually going somewhere.
Lesson:Keep your eyes open. Even if it seems to be the same old route, there are always new surprises to discover as long as you are open to it.
2) Face the wind if you must, and face it boldly.
I wrote in a previous blog post, "20 Life's Lessons from a 42 Year Old" about this very notion. Lesson #3 states, "If you are running, do so with the wind behind you." Unfortunately, what I have learned is that in order to get home, it appears you will run into the wind at some point. First I tried the sailing approach, tacking along to the right of the wind then to the left. I looked kind of silly but did manage to avoid the wind for at least some of the time. However eventually, I had to face it.
Lesson: Don't think for a second that you can't go on, because you can. And whatever pain or exhaustion there is, know that it doesn't last forever. Plus these are good times to put your theme songs to work
3) Have a theme song or two or three.
It's amazing what music can do for your attitude and how motivating a good song can be. I'm pretty sure I have tried them all; from classic rock to rap; ACDC to JayZ and the winner is always the same. Super super lame I guess and entirely too predictable, but I assure you, the theme from Rocky will never ever let you down. (even going uphill against the wind). The running apps refer to this type of song as your Power Song. Seems like a good name since somehow you actually gain power from listening.
Lesson: When life feels all windy and uphill, play your theme song. You can play the song silently in your head or hum it out loud. You may look like a crazy person, but you'll feel stronger and more powerful than before so it won't matter.
4) Good planning is always a good idea.
Knowing full well that nothing actually works as planned, it's still comforting to know that there is a plan even if it's one intended to be deviated from. My plan always includes an ending downhill. Lesson: Put your time in early so that the endings are gentlest: the end of the day, the end of a year, the end of your life. Why not take it easy then? Makes perfect sense to me.
5) Sometimes, you have to let it go.
Sometimes it's just not working despite all your efforts. While it's never OK to quit out of fear, don't beat yourself up if you have to let it go... for today.... for a month or forever. Thankfully there's always yoga...... and Yoga can get you through anything.
Lesson: Give it everything you have first, then, if it's still not right, let it go. It's ok.
6) "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"
As it's been said only a million different times in a million different ways, there is only ONE way to get from point A to point B or wherever it is you're going and that is to put one foot in front of the other. That's it.
Lesson: One foot, then the other and continue. Soon you'll be walking, maybe running, maybe uphill, maybe listening to the theme from Rocky, maybe it will be awful, maybe it will be exhilarating, maybe it will be both. It's all good because you're going somewhere and somewhere is better than nowhere.
7) It truly is a great adventure.
There is no guarantee that you will arrive at your originally planned destination and there is certainly no guarantee that, if you do, it will be in the time you expected. In fact you may arrive at the point B from plan B (Ha ha-you probably didn't even know you had one of those). Any which way you look at it, the adventure is grand.
Lesson: There are uphills to battle and winds to overcome, but in the end, it always feels worth it. Funny how that happens.
