Monday, June 10, 2019

Today I Am Strong

Today I ran a 5K.

I didn't plan on running.  I was tucked away on the right side of the course, the slow lane, and was geared up for a 3+ mile individual speedwalk.  The walking sufficed for a few blocks until I ran into a solid sea of people at the turn toward the lakefront.  I picked up my speed to a slow gallop just to avoid a jam between 2 large groups of runners quickly closing in on each other.  Once I realized I was jogging and that it felt good, I just kept going.  End of story.

I had been "training" for the Girls on The Run 5K for over a month on my own, as I hadn't run much more than a few blocks since the 3 rounds of knee surgeries a few years ago.  My 10-year-old daughter, with whom I was attending the race, is a fast runner.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep pace with her as I once could when she was younger.  After working myself up to 15 minutes of sporadic jogging in between lags of recovery walking to balance off the knee pain, I suggested to my daughter that we practice running together once to see how we match up.

"It was veeeeerrrrrry iiinnnteresting," noted Maddy, when I asked her afterwards how she felt about the paces matching up, after we'd run a half-mile together.  She stated the obvious - it was hard to hold herself back in order to stay with me and my slower movement.

That was that.  I preemptively matched her up with running buddy for her big race day.  I quit trying to run faster, or even at all, in the weeks leading up to the 5K, and I decided to just walk at my own pace and meet up with her at the finish line when the time came.

Stacy Says It - Stacy Snyder - Today I Am Strong
Instead, I finished the race at a decent pace on my own while Maddy ran ahead with her buddy.  It was a win-win for everyone.  I even managed to shave a few minutes off of my best time from 10 years ago.

I feel strong and empowered.  I'm confident that the world matched my vibe for the day.

During my Myndjive meditation this early morning, I breathed into myself and out onto the world, the intent that I am strong.

It seems overly simple, this daily ritual of taking a few minutes to clear my mind and putting forth deliberate thought toward what I will bring into the day.  It requires a leap of faith that what I seek in life will naturally come to me if I put it out there into the world.  It relies on relinquishing control in order to allow things to unfold naturally.

But it works, for today I am strong.