Run 2

Ran again today. 3.25 miles. No breaks. Pace 11:32. Heart rate high was 168.

Went to meditation before I went to the gym. We discussed the body after group meditation and how it's important to give yourself time to settle into your body and scan your body for how it feels when you first sit to meditate. I thought a lot about the concept of being in your body while I ran too. I scanned to see how it all felt. The core feels weak, but the legs feel stronger, the lungs feel like they are working less than they had to yesterday, the neck (I had a neck injury a few years ago that bothers me when I run sometimes) felt great the whole time, the arms feel weak still. This scanning helps my mind, helps me focus, and reminds me of what I need to do to feel stronger, perhaps what cross-training I should do. Since my mind bothers me a lot while I run, I see how mindfulness in running could really help during this experience.

I'm reading Once a Runner and it's nice to be reminded that even elite athletes feel pain. It's hard. It's work. It's excruciating at times, even for them. That makes me feel like when the pain hits I am not necessarily weak, it's part of the experience. I feel it. I move on. It's temporary.

Everyday we're either getting better or getting worse. What was I today? What will I be tomorrow? Thursday? Friday? The weekend?