I have had a beautiful autumnal saturday morning in Delhi. Not many people know that I sprained my back 8 days ago. I was being quite like I am and skipped a step during a stair workout and *somehow* managed to tumble down 3 flights of stairs. Landed on my lower back! I have been running sporadically, but doing yoga as often as I am able.
Anyway, after my workout this morning, I sat under cold running water and filled the bath tub with ice. The sharp stab of the cold caught me completely off guard and I burst out laughing. Cold water cleans your wounds, alot like sweat after a humid run.
I cranked out 7 miles in 65 minutes and 20 minutes of yoga.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
Maybe you relate...
I think this is the longest I have been quiet here. So much has happened these past few months, that it may take me another year to just process the changes.
The other day, as I was attempting to slick down the humid frizzies in my hair and camouflage the shadows under my eyes, I got a phonecall. It was an old runner friend. He shared with me that he was lacking motivation when it came to running.
The gist of what he said was that several years ago when he was training for a marathon, he couldnt wait to get out there and push himself. He was basically saying that although he is completely out of shape now, even that isnt motivating him.
I thought about what he was trying to say. I reflected on the times when I had been exceptionally motivated, almost on a mission when it came to running. I asked, "Were you happy, when you were training like that"?. He got really quiet for a minute and then said, "I was happy when I was running but no, other than that, my life was miserable at the time".
I can so relate! I have run like that before. I have used running as a therapy, a way to literally hurt to work out other hurts. A purging feeling thats hard to replicate any other way. In this way, motivation comes easy since we are all motivated by release and relief. We are often sad-skinny and attempt to control our pain because we feel we want to control something, anything. What happens though when the painful season passes away? I asked him how he felt today and he said with a start "Oh, I'm really happy". It made me smile so wide to think of how much runners share, how easy it is for us to find common ground.
So, perhaps he could redefine what he sees as success in running. Instead of seeing it as something to overcome or working out, running could also be fun, celebration and peace. Maybe if he took away the theme of striving from his running, he would feel more compelled to go out and play?
Just like dressing up for a date with our spouse, or sharing a drink with friends, our relationship with our bodies need maintenance too. If it always feels like work, we are missing the joy. And as author John Eldredge says so beautifully, "We have to be intentional about joy".
I wont post up my workouts. Another day :-)
The other day, as I was attempting to slick down the humid frizzies in my hair and camouflage the shadows under my eyes, I got a phonecall. It was an old runner friend. He shared with me that he was lacking motivation when it came to running.
The gist of what he said was that several years ago when he was training for a marathon, he couldnt wait to get out there and push himself. He was basically saying that although he is completely out of shape now, even that isnt motivating him.
I thought about what he was trying to say. I reflected on the times when I had been exceptionally motivated, almost on a mission when it came to running. I asked, "Were you happy, when you were training like that"?. He got really quiet for a minute and then said, "I was happy when I was running but no, other than that, my life was miserable at the time".
I can so relate! I have run like that before. I have used running as a therapy, a way to literally hurt to work out other hurts. A purging feeling thats hard to replicate any other way. In this way, motivation comes easy since we are all motivated by release and relief. We are often sad-skinny and attempt to control our pain because we feel we want to control something, anything. What happens though when the painful season passes away? I asked him how he felt today and he said with a start "Oh, I'm really happy". It made me smile so wide to think of how much runners share, how easy it is for us to find common ground.
So, perhaps he could redefine what he sees as success in running. Instead of seeing it as something to overcome or working out, running could also be fun, celebration and peace. Maybe if he took away the theme of striving from his running, he would feel more compelled to go out and play?
Just like dressing up for a date with our spouse, or sharing a drink with friends, our relationship with our bodies need maintenance too. If it always feels like work, we are missing the joy. And as author John Eldredge says so beautifully, "We have to be intentional about joy".
I wont post up my workouts. Another day :-)
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