Some of you might know about my struggles with running this year...an achy hip on one side, and a super-tight calf on the other. I really haven't run much since April, and then only in short spurts. I've had to resign myself to being a walker for many months, and was trying to embrace the mental break that it gave me, even though I really missed my runs, my running group, and, let's be totally honest, the ability to eat just a little bit more without my weight creeping up on me.
A few weeks ago I decided that I'd had enough and was ready to be a runner again. After all, the same hip that was giving me angst was the same hip that ached through 22 marathons and countless physical therapy sessions. I know what I have to do--I just don't do enough of it.
Life has been busy, but I'd managed to go out and run a few times a week, and I'd felt pretty good. Best of all, I felt like I was getting my mojo back, and that's pretty priceless to me right now!
It was all good, that is, until Tuesday morning came around. I'd been running for about half an hour, feeling great, when suddenly I was airborne, and there was no way to stop it. I literally tripped over a crack in the sidewalk (that's usually how it happens) and ended up removing a good chunk of skin from one elbow and the opposite knee. Aargh! (Actually what came out of my mouth at the time was a little more colorful--hopefully the neighbors were still sleeping.)
I limped back home, sobbing, not because it hurt that bad right then, but because I knew what was coming and I knew I'd have to put my running on hold again for an indeterminate amount of time.
Over the next couple of days, the aching moved from my knee and elbow up to my shoulders and neck, and down to my lower back. I don't know how football players do it (or toddlers, for that matter), falling over and over. One tumble and I'm wrecked for weeks! This wasn't the first time I'd fallen, either. I can count as many as five falls that I've had while running, and this one was certainly not the worst. It's scary and frustrating, and getting back on that horse gets harder and harder the older you get.
To be honest, I started to think that maybe my running days were over, and that's a pretty depressing thought for someone who has identified herself as a runner for so many years.
Wednesday night I had a yoga class that I almost decided to skip. However the name of the class was "Ease your Pain," so I figured if there was ever a best time to go, this was it. Ironically, the theme for the class was around changing how you identify with your pain. Instead of making the pain a part of your identity, you need to create a new identity that does not include it. For example, instead of seeing myself as a former runner with too many aches and pains to go on, I needed to change my identity to that of a strong, healthy woman who still likes to run. (Ok, so maybe I don't have any marathons planned for the near future, but I'm not ruling that out!)
This can apply to so many different areas of our lives. Change your beliefs and you will change your outcomes. Visualize yourself as the strong, sexy, confident, positive, patient, healthy person you want to be and then make it happen. Tough love here--if you don't think you can do it, you won't. Think you're stuck with the excess weight? You probably are. Think you can't learn a new skill or change jobs? Yeah, you're right. Think you'll never run another race? We'll see...
Write out a description of who you want to be and take a look at it each morning. I did this a few months back and had forgotten to look at it in a while. This week I started reading it again over my morning coffee. It's always the same; it hasn't changed, but when it's first and foremost in my mind each morning it carries over throughout the day and continues to influence my thoughts and actions. It becomes the compass that directs the trajectory of my day.
On the opposite page I have written out some of my favorite inspirational quotes, and again, they are always applicable, no matter how many times I see them. Some are from the Bible, some are from famous people, and some are just random things I've heard. I'm sure you have your own. Whenever you find a new one you like, make sure you write it down. There are a lot of wise people out there. Let their words lift you up.
So, wow. I went off on quite the tangent there. I hope you caught the point of my story, though. Pain is just pain, it's not who we are. Whether it's physical, mental, or situational--it may be a part of your story, but it's not your story. You have the power to write that story and make it happen.
And by the way--I went for a run this morning and it felt sooo good!
Make it a great day, friends!
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