I started running again a couple of weeks ago.
A few years ago, I trained for a marathon. I bought a book about marathon training for nonrunners, and followed the program for 16 weeks. On the day of the race, smoke from wildfires here in California caused the organizers to cancel it. The last training run was the last time I ran, until a couple of weeks ago.
My knees and ankles are in good shape, but walking does not give my leg muscles the workout that running does. I remember what it was like to run before, which means that I know both what my breathing needs to become, and how far away I am from that.
I appreciate running most when it becomes more contemplative. I am not really able to get beyond monitoring my physical situation and be open to the spiritual and emotional aspects of running right now, but I look forward to that. I appreciate the rhythm of running, and the way it helps me get outside myself.
My approach to running is not very competitive. i do not know how fast I am running, and I am not planning to run any more races. My goal is to run three times each week for 5 kilometers each time. I would like to lose a little weight, but it is really the breathing and the heart benefits that I appreciate, along with the rhythm.
It is also very important to me that I continue to grow and develop, that I continue finding ways to become a more complete person. Some of those ways are things that I can learn and add to my life, and some are things that I can cleanse from my life.
How are you becoming a more complete person? What are you learning and adding to your life? What are the things you need to let go?
[Image by Sheffield Tiger]
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