relax and run, ruth and ME!

Only have a minute, but wanted to say that yesterday on my 40 minute run, I took about 20 minutes to relax and get my mind and body on the same page.  Does that ever happen with any of you?  Your body seems to belong with some other non-running mind and vice versa????  I felt like a big clutz for the first half of my run and then finally fell into a rhythm when it was almost time to stop!  Grrr.  I just read Ruth's post about "relax and run" which is normally what I do, but some days, it just doesn't happen right off the starting line!  
Here are some of my ways of relaxing while running (that FINALLY worked for me yesterday and normally work easily):  I let my arms just hang and swing as I run for a few seconds, roll my head from side to side or shrug my shoulders.  I look up and around.  I count.  I try to feel the air around me by concentrating on each part of my body to see if I can feel the breeze or the sun.  I look for rock pictures in the cliffs.  I think "here I am right now," to get my mind off of the destination.  I don't allow myself to think of how far I have to go, but only that I am out there going.  I look for specific colors, one day I look for everything yellow, another I look for everything pink, etc.  One day, I looked for cloud pictures.  another, I looked for smiley rocks my kids hid for me.  :)  Things that keep your mind from wandering too far ahead of you are really helpful!

Comments

Ruthie said…
ahhh... great tips on relaxing :)

wish we could sit in a hammock and run at the same time :) hehe

great job!
5:38 AM
sauchagirl said…
Great ideas! I'm jumping in tomorrow with training again. I went to the half today that I was supposed to run and felt inspired and disappointed. I wanted to be crossing that finish and I really need to stop my fears from getting in my way.

Have a great day Josha!
10:42 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

More Than One Way

Knowing that the initial weight loss starts out with loss of water weight, I set a goal for the first week, to lose 5 pounds. I lost 6.6 pounds. Yay! Weight isn't everything, but this week, I have gained a pound, which is discouraging for sure. So- I measured instead, and I've lost an inch in my waist. Plus, I wore my belt a notch smaller this week. There is more than one way to measure success! A goal for this second week has been to eat more of the good, healthy fats. I think that my downfall is a repeated one from the past. I don't eat enough to support my activity. My adrenals kick in and I lose ground. I haven't accomplished my dietary goal, so I will re-focus!
Read more

Head in the Game

Image
The challenge of keeping my head in the game is REAL! It seems lately, that with every attempt to re-gain my health, I get injured. I'm unable to go to fitness classes or runs right now, so I got excited about jumprope, thinking my foot (broken about 2 YEARS AGO) could take it. I was wrong. Now, I have almost constant pain in my foot/ankle/leg. I am back to 'only' yoga, which I love, but can I lose the weight and gain the strength with yoga alone? I think I can! So now, as I search for medical answers about my foot, I am excited again about yoga. So, here are my 5 Ways to Keep Your Head In The Game: Nix Negativity. Speak only to yourself and into the universe, what brings peace. (thanks, Ruthie) Review your goals. Keep pictures at the ready that represent your aspirations. Go to sleep with the vision of yourself having achieved your goals firmly in your mind. Cut yourself some slack.  Practice makes practice, not perfection. Get a friend in on the journey w...
Read more

Old and New

Image
I'm so grateful that I kept this blog as I lost weight and gained strength the first time. Looking back through old posts, I am reminded to be patient and to persevere. I am reminded of my personal inner strength and of the ability to start over every day, as needed. I had gained 70 pounds in the course of the years of trying desperately to teach my autistic son. I poured myself into him and my other 2 homeschooled children. The story of this blog goes that I awakened to the realization that I had to re-learn how to care for myself, and these chapters describe the successful journey of losing 70 pounds and gaining confidence and strength. It's a wonderful story. I loved it as I lived it, and I managed to keep the weight off for 10 years as my children grew up and graduated my tutorship. Many factors slipped in to define the recent few magical years in which my autistic son became able to communicate and I devoted my all to him and to teaching others like him... and re-gained ...
Read more