It has been too long since I have taken the time to write here. Life has kept me busy, but not too busy to get my mile or more in every day. Every day, for the past 600 days, as a matter of fact. 600 feels like a pretty big number. And I am pretty proud of making it this many days. Some days it has taken a shove (thank you Randy!) and other days I can’t wait to get out there to run and feel like I could run for miles and miles. I don’t always have the time or the energy for that but I have completed my 600 days.
Since last time I wrote here I have completed a 5k and signed up for an 8k. I have also given up drinking my drink of choice for the past 25 or so years, Mountain Dew. Over the past decade or more people would typically see me carrying around that green bottle of soda (pop). My desk at work was filled with bottles, and empty bottles on the floor of my car, who needed coffee when you could start the day with that fizzy nectar? I decided that was something I needed to kick out of my habits. I have given it up in the past but it has been several weeks now and it has gone pretty well. I have not given up caffeine, but definitely reduced the amount I take in every day.
I have decided it is the small changes that I need to make to just be a healthier me. I have been pretty successful in my mile or more a day, and now eliminating the pop. I have to decided on what to change next.
So, I will continue to take it one day at a time, and one (or more) mile at a time and see where that takes me.
Some days getting my mile seems daunting and not something I want to do, but I know deep down it helps be to recenter myself and focus on just breathing sometimes.
Over the past few weeks a coworker has been dealing with a challenging time in her life as her father is very ill. People come and have the best intentions of telling her “just take it a day at a time.” Although their intentions are good, sometimes in life, a day is too overwhelming. In really hard times even an hour or a minute feels almost impossible. So, I try to frequent her desk and just tell her the simple word of “breath”. I wanted her to have something to focus on one small that she could work through. Right now it is just one breath at a time. I was able to find a cute little bracelet that she now wears proudly, it simply says, “just breathe”. Some days that is all we can do, just focus on one breath at a time. At some point she will be able to focus on a longer period of time than that but for now it is one breath at a time and also doing something to take care of herself. I explained how my running is something that I do for me, but she needs to find something for her. This past weekend she did just that, she took time for just her and she looked refreshed. She took the time to breathe and she was ready to go for another day.
We all need to find that thing that helps us to slow down and just to breathe, even in the midst of stressful times. What is it for you? What helps you remember to breathe? To take in that big deep breath and calm your soul?
For me after a nice run, I usually feel energized and I am able to focus on what is in front of me.
Some days it is just one step at a time and just one breath at a time….
We will see where this leads me… will it be for another 600 days of a mile or more?
runningthroughmytroubles 