I am so sore. I am downing bcaa's constantly. Epsom salt is running through my veins. I even resorted to buying tiger balm...a magic ointment of questionable origin that cures all. For whatever reason the past few days has left me struggling to recover. Might be nutrition and sleep. Might be mileage. Might be age. Probably is a combination of all and it is time to be diligent about the aches to keep them from becoming injury.
Today I started my run three times. The first time was on a trail with Peter so I hiked ten kms. Hiking needs to be part of my training as I will not legit run 300k. So I used it as a good tempo hike. But my legs hurt and I have a sore butt cheek and sore feet. I was aiming for a 15k day so this evening I aimed for a 5k around the lake. Five strides.. five...nope...back in car. I threw on a podcast and went to get a coffee. The podcast was on mindfulness and purpose based training. I got sucked into it.
The final part of it talked about joy. Clearly to achieve you must enjoy the effort. As I thought about this I realised how joyful running had been for me this spring. I haven't had a run I hated...quite the opposite. I have had amazing and beautiful runs that made me more alive and complete. As I listened and drove I realised that I am doing this huge run for good reasons.
I want a goal that scares me.
I want to feel stronger in my soul when I train.
I want to know that my limits are becoming more non existant.
I want to find out more about who I am.
Running and this insane goal run gives me all those. I gain on each of those statements every run. It's been so great doing ultramarathon training again. I love this type of training. I have actually not done a single run with music in nearly 500kms. That's wild to me. I just haven't needed it. There's a beauty in the solitude and the connection with nature. Saturday I ran 5k with Charlie in the stroller. I showed him Terry Fox and we ran wherever he wanted to go. His joy fed mine and we had a beautiful run. I had run 5k with him and a buddy in the morning too. He ran parts of it with us, told us stories, and got out to play in streams. I wish I could bottle those runs. So powerful.
So be joyful in what you do. It doesn't matter what it is. If you love it, embrace it and live it. Being mindful and purpose based is crucial, and one of the main purposes of movement is simply joy. Today a dear friend signed up for a half marathon...this is what it's about! Scaring yourself and reaching higher!
The third attempt at my run was a success by the way. I went to a road I have been eyeing for a while. Found a little singletrack off of it. Got rained on. Smiled the whole time. Remembered that I am so lucky to be able to have a passion and be able to pursue it.
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