31 Oct I DONT THINK ABOUT IT. I JUST DO IT.

Yes I’m a training freak…

 So I like to train.  I run and I use weights.

I use weights so that I don’t look like a long distance runner (I don’t fancy that look on me).

And I run because I LOVE IT…AS I DISAPPEAR FOR AN HOUR OR SO…

LET ME SHOW YOU THE THOUGHT PATTERN THAT I RAN ONE PARTICULAR SUNDAY:

Night Before:

It would be nice to sleep in tomorrow for once

Sunday Morning:

7:20am: 

My eyes open.  So I close them trying to fool myself that I’m still sleeping.

7:23am:

Jump out of bed with my stiff back, walk carefully to the bathroom as I diagnose myself with a tender left heel.

Bathroom routine (take my ventolin or preventer)

Coffee and yawning go hand in hand at this point

Eating a banana acknowledging that I haven’t had pancakes with ice-cream and maple syrup for years – who put that image in my head??

Outside seems cloudy so I silently threaten the sun to ensure it comes out and shine on me – I assume a silent agreement is made!

Get dressed into my sports gear and although I want to rush out to get started (only so that I can get back as soon as possible) I make sure that I moisturise and don’t forget my lipgloss – I must look pretty for the birds that wish to poo on me.

8:00am:

Walk out the door, make it to the front fence and turn back like I do every Sunday and walk back in the house to check I turned off my heater. I know you’ve done this before too…haven’t you?

I acknowledge that I have wasted 2 minutes (can you believe it)?

I decide not to stretch before I run even though I know I should.  I use my dog as an excuse.  I don’t want her to stare at me through the window incase she is sad to see me leave.  She is probably happy I left, now she can continue sleeping.

8:05am:

I start to jog.  Music is low because my ears don’t adjust to the noise for a few minutes.  Don’t worry I deafen myself in no time at all.  Amazingly my world becomes rather quiet for the next hour and forty minutes even with my music blaring.

So as I begin my run I’m not happy.  I’m not sad either.  I’m nothing.  In fact I’m extremely aware of my physical body.  It Hurts!  And it deserves to hurt.  I don’t rest it.  And from what I can predict, I’m not in a hurry to rest it either.

Thank god I fly overseas sometimes…This forces me to rest on the plane.  Funny isn’t it.  I flew to Europe this year and had the best rest for 24 hours.  Even funnier, I recently had an operation this year,  couldn’t train for a number of weeks and this was the best rest too.

Anyway back to the painful beginning of my run… I start slow, identify my areas of aches and pains.  I offer them empathy as I continue to run with great care so as to give my physical self the opportunity to catch up.  In the meantime my breathing finds it’s rhythm; this is my first sign of team work.

8:20am:

My body is warm and nothing hurts anymore.  Welcome on board I say.  Patience pays off.  Now my breathing and my body is in perfect sync.  This is the time now that I turn my head and face the sun as it has agreed to pop out and nourish me.  Thats it… now my mind has joined in on the team work.  Yes I throw in a smile too.

This is the moment worth getting up for.  

True happiness and feeling content.

What more would I ask for?

This is why I get up every Sunday to do this.  It’s not to run.  Its to feel this.  But to feel this, I need to just get up and do it.  No thinking…do I want to? No asking…do I feel like it?  No… I just do it.

I have done this for years.  And for years I get the same outcome.  I just realised I’m addicted to the outcome.  I’m also addicted to the process too.  I run for 1 hour and 40 min on a typical Sunday.  For 20 min I’m allowing my self to transition into a successful run.

For the next hour and 20 min I’m just loving the feeling.  I know now that I’m not stopping any time soon….unless injury or ill health stop me.  I’m not interested in running in bad weather either.  That’s when I drive to the gym!

Its also great seeing people out on a Sunday morning walking, running or cycling.  I feel I live in a very friendly community.  I get lots of smily faces.  But the truth is….I’m smiling at them first.

And thats how I do it.

Remember you get good at what you practice…

And so I’m good at getting up and just doing it.