All-Inclusive Staycation: Running!

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The main impediment to my own pursuit of recreational

“tri-athleticism” has always been reticence.

That’s it.  I’m shy; unsure of myself.

I don’t have the “proper jargon” down for the swim/bike portions of the program.  I don’t have the right gear or proper technique.  And you have to know a lot of stuff.

Additionally, I’m patently uncool.

I’m always doing massively lame things like forgetting to refer to my bicycle seat as a “saddle”.   I ride a slow, heavy bicycle from Walmart which I’ve no objection to using, in fact, I think a heavier bike provides a more challenging workout, but I wouldn’t dare bring it to a Bicycling Meetup Group.

I can just hear the (imaginary?) elitist snickers now.

I couldn’t clock a respectable 100 yard freestyle swim because I’d be doggy-paddling halfway through.  I couldn’t demonstrate a decent butterfly stroke for $1000 tax-free dollars.  And I can’t do the cool flip turn at the end of the lane, although I really, REALLY want to.

So what if I could eventually work past these hurdles? In my mind, approaching my local Tri Club would result in my being laughed straight out of Florida.

Someone might respond to my declaration of (irrational?)fear like this:  “Kristen, you were new to running once,  you got over it, and now you are natural and relaxed in that environment.”  No one has, but that would be a reasonable assertion to make in this context.

My Response:

Running is Unique.  One thing I’ve observed, and this is just my opinion, is the vast difference in permeability between running and other sports.  Unlike everything else, running is wide open.  I’ve always taken pride in being part of the running community; for it’s all- inclusiveness and ease of transition between other recreational sports.

Want to be a runner?

Ok, Go Run. boom.⇒   You are one.

It’s that simple.

It would break my heart to know that someone felt that their body type, running style, disability, etc could or would exclude them from being part of this fantastic, amazing, rewarding, addicting, All-Inclusive Sport that’s an All-Inclusive Resort for Your Mind and Your Troubles.

Running’s a Staycation that’s only a pair of shoes (or not) away.  That’s it.  There’s no stopping you.  Except maybe, injury.

9 times out of 10; I’d be willing to bet, they are over-use injuries.  Why?

Because Running is just that good.

So forgive me if I get a little defensive about the sport that I’m so proud to be a part of.  As far as mainstream exercise goes, it’s the simplest, most accessible, and most welcoming of communities.  I’d be very sad to hear that someone might be deterred from the happiness of running because they felt alienated by their physicality.  There’s simply no room for that nonsense; figuratively and literally.

And as far as organized racing goes, there have been some additional divisions created to broaden the competitive field and encourage participation by all runners.  The new divisions are by-weight categories: Athena, for women, and Clydesdale, for men.  Runner registration is completely optional; the purpose is to give more runners an opportunity to “place” in different categories and,

I don’t know about you, but my fondness for accolades and medals has held pretty steady since childhood.

So don’t worry about having all the right gear or the ideal runner’s physique, because there is no such thing.  Don’t worry about having a clumsy or awkward-looking stride, because running shouldn’t be about judgement.  I’d like to think that running is the sport that’s closest to being free of elitism, or at least, has the capacity to be.

 Running is All-Inclusive.  Everyone Willkommen.

***Disclaimer:  I know many triathletes, swimmers, cyclists, and other athletes who are not elitists in the slightest.  I used other sports as illustrative comparisons and to demonstrate my personal experience with the way running has made me feel included (relative to other sports).


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“Scale”-ing Back

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On this very rainy Sunday, it was my intention to write about scales; the medical variety.

Instead, I have decided to announce a serious scaling back in terms of blogging.

For a short period of time, posts will be limited to very light and fun updates:

  • Preparing for my Spring Garden

  • Refreshing my Running and Cycling workouts with Pilates!

  • The weekly progress of my Writing Project :-)

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So the blog has not, and will not, be going anywhere.

I’m just shifting my focus to offline work for now.  The blog is for fun updates and to stay connected throughout the project.

Thank you for sticking with me.

 

Next Week:  Later this Month: promise.

How to grow your own Avocados at home.  


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Leveling Out

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Everyday! is an emotional roller coaster in The Bipolar Mind, but yesterday seemed just a little more level than in days previous.  I’m taking this as a good sign and trying not to give in to The Ever Present Anxiety tapping me on the shoulder, helpfully reminding me that it’s not okay to enjoy any degree of relief, because, rest assured, the hammer’s coming down, oh yes indeed, it’s only a matter of time.  **Rubs hands together evilly**...oh wait, is that Purell? 

I wrote until I reached the point at which time everything was sounding contrived, so I knew I needed to work out.  Exercise has always helped me with brainstorming, but Running is especially effective.

During my run, I was thinking about how the activity of running itself  is like this Amazing Idea Machine:  I’m picturing something similar to Dr. Seuss’s Sneetches’ Star Removal Machine, but instead of Sneetches with or without stars on their bellies, the machines are producing millions of good and bad ideas for a runner’s brain to process, accept or discard.

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The nostalgic imagery of The Sneetches had prompted me to research the story when I got home.  A few of the websites discussing Dr. Seuss’s publications claimed The Sneetches story has a shockingly anti-Semitic undertone, which I believe was completely unintentional and really reaching.

Honestly, I think that if you examine something closely enough and for long enough, you are certain to find something to which you object.

Anyhow, Dr. Seuss is amazing.  And most definitely not anti-Semitic.

ALSO, my run was amazing and quite productive as far as brainstorming is concerned.  It was 62 degrees when I left the house and very sunny.  I couldn’t find my gloves today.  Because I haven’t really been running outside much lately, I don’t have extreme weather gear “at the ready”, so when I decided to impulsively go for a run, it was socks on the hands or get frostbite and potentially lose some digits.

I looked outstanding and definitely not crazy.

Joking aside, I do have Raynaud’sbut that can flare up when I’m inside my house and at any time of the year, not just outside, during the winter months.

Running is really hard on my body; but it is so good for my mind.  I dread the time when my body finally breaks down and no longer tolerates running even a handful of days a month.  I’m not freaking out in an eating disordered, poor body image way (although I don’t deny that being a problem); this is purely chemical.  This is me needing running for emotional and cognitive regulation.  

It’s like rebooting a computer.  You don’t know why it fixes the problem; it just does.    

Yoga’s been suggested countless times, and still, I remain skeptical.  I just don’t see it working for me.  I can’t be calm: I will worry.  I can’t be still: I will fall asleep.

It’s hard enough for me to sit down long enough to type this.  If I am having a particularly bad OCD day and I want to focus on writing, I literally have to lock myself in my own bedroom so that the rest of my house won’t distract me.

I’ve seen what yoga can do, and I know one needs to be made of some tough stuff to do it, but I’d prefer to be less “present” and more “checked out”.   And I already know what my yogi friends are going to say here: that doing yoga will keep my body healthy to give me more of the running days that I want.  😛

When it comes down to it, the activity that my brain, my emotions, my psyche collectively need to “reset” is not in strength asanas, flexibility, breathing or balance. I need something with a steady cadence; to just get up and go.

Cycling is a close second, and that’s where the resistance trainer comes in.  It’s nice having it, because when I do get a little light bulb over my head, I can grab my voice recorder, pretend to be House, M.D., and record whatever random idea comes to mind.  And between doing that (Words), taking my (Meds), and working on my garden (Plants), I am Leveling Out.

Thank you for indulging me and please enjoy a short clip of Sneetches being Sneetches:


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