Hiyah friends! I’m just gonna go ahead and jump right on in the deep end and let y’all know that it’s been a pretty overextended 6 to 8 months. Overextended me i.e, doing way too much with way too little capacity, and that led to – you guessed it – me figuring out that juggling is not my superpower and that I’m a much better runner. Period. I ended up cutting back so I wouldn’t have to go off the deep end after life offered some unforeseen setbacks, and unfortunately, my writing got the short end of the stick. Well, this runner girl believes that often setbacks are setups for something greater, so I’ll keep that in mind going forward and not bother with that pity party after all. I bet you believe it when I tell you that despite all the happenings, my fitness did not suffer. It sure didn’t, and here’s why, exercise acts as both a destressor and a reward of sorts for me. I might even say that for every feeling I have, there’s a run or workout for that. That’s a lot of exercise with all the emotions I’ve been working through these past few months.
Hear me out. It’s no secret that I love any excuse for a good run. In fact, no excuse will also do as I’ve come to appreciate. Over the past year, I’ve encountered many changes in my world and witnessed many in the wider world. Some of which I’ve embraced while others not so much. One of the most consistent things I’ve valued in my life over this time has been the desire, ability, and opportunity to run. Through the good and the bad, the happy and sad, and at my highest and lowest points and every time in-between, I have welcomed running as an opportunity to bring peace, reflection, focus, refreshment, relief, escape, perspective, gratitude, and joy – sometimes singularly but often as a combination. All runs, in all seasons, and all expressions welcome. I can almost feel your question: have all your runs been positive experiences then? Let me be clear, no, not at all. In no way am I trying to say that running is always a feel-good sport – not in the moment anyway, not at all on the very run sometimes – but the end result of all my runs have always produced a satisfaction of one or more of the above expressions. It’s the reason I’ve always looked upon running as my happy place. 🤩
In my last two seasons, the last quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, I found myself dealing with family issues, the loss of loved ones and the grief that follows, the seasonal highs and lows, illness, and life upheavals of various kinds in tandem with the economic and political instability of the global climate but also here in the United States. Two things kept me going, praying and exercising, including running and crossfit. I don’t pretend to know or even try to indicate that this is the answer to every issue, but I do want to suggest that it is an answer, possibly one in part, but certainly one that deserves a chance. Of course, the spring season is lots of perfect for running and perfect for me, minus the rains, so I’ve been getting around the neighborhood and the parks, checking out the blooms and runs around town and even gotten myself signed up for a 5K event! The 5 Ws’: Wait, what, why? A 5K? Where? And when? 😀
I’ve been working with a client to get her on the run and I gotta tell you, one of my recommendations everytime someone tells me they think they want to run, but they’re not sure about all the things involved like schedule, commitment, sacrifice, and ability, is that they should sign up for a race, a small one, to give them a goal to work towards. I mean, there’s nothing like having a goal that will motivate the heck outta you to get it done, especially if it’s a smart one. This tends to get one out the start gate, into the running community, and onto a healthier path, and I dare say give rise to a fitter individual. So, go figure, I did my thing a tad too excitedly, I’ll admit, and volià , here we are! Just in case you’re wondering how I am about putting my money where my mouth is. We’re heading over to an island on the island of Manhattan on May 12 for her first race and my first 5k since Oct ’22. Fun times, my friends, fun times! 🙃
Be encouraged to start, restart, or just step out. Get running and drop me a shout-out when you do! 🥰
runningwithfaith 