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.
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.
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.
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.
