#running mindfulness

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

Just like that; I'm back in the game. My 8km run had me feeling like I'm almost 100% again! No better feeling in the world, I don't think. Ps - running against this backdrop makes me feel so grateful to be a living, breathing human.

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

Good Thursday morning, team. HOW GREAT IS THIS APP THOUGH?! Speedy (for me) 8.4km featuring one heck of a hill that I totally underestimated 😅 Feeling alive and grateful today 🙏🏻

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

When 5km feels like 50... The first run back after sickness.

Okay. 

So I know I harp on about being mindful and listening to your body when you run, but today was one of those days where I wished I could ignore everything my body was telling me and keep running.  I’ve been couch-ridden for a week with a terrible flu virus that is going round at the moment. I did all the right things; I rested, heaps of fluids, no exercise, pain medication etc etc. I even pulled out of my race on Sunday because I still wasn’t 100% and it was pouring with rain. I therefore figured that, by today (Monday), I would be good to have a gentle shake out jog. My nose wasn’t blocked, I wasn’t as tired, most of my symptoms seemed to have disappeared. 

I WAS SO VERY WRONG. 

5 minutes in my chest felt so heavy I thought I was going to have to stop. I hadn’t had a cough the whole time I was sick so I thought that my mouth-breathing would sustain me throughout the run. Again, SO WRONG! I stupidly underestimated the way the respiratory system relies on both the mouth and nose to effectively exchange gas and get oxygen to my muscles and as a result; my ribcage felt like it was full of lead.  If I am being totally honest; the 5km that is usually a breeze for me felt more like a bloodied crawl to my final resting place. I was exhausted, and as a result, my form got all messed up so my knee was aching as well. 

Not. A. Fun. Time. 

So, what did I learn? Firstly, I don’t regret this run. It was short; under half an hour, and a part of me needed to assess where I was at physically. I also felt a little bit better by the end, but still very much ready to finish.  I learned that you cannot underestimate the effect a virus has on your system; just because you feel better doesn’t mean that your body has recovered to the point where it can perform as it did before.  So, at this point, I’m going to have another day of rest and try another short run on Wednesday. A timely reminder that running is a JOURNEY; setbacks aren’t the end of the world, they are inevitable and they happen. The most important thing is how you react to them. Take your time and let your body heal; you’ll be better for it in the long run! (See what I did there.... heh....)

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

After a rocky couple of weeks of illness and physio appointments I finally managed to get a long run in! (Well, long for me anyway...) It was raining when I woke up and I thought about putting it off for another day but it's RACE DAY on Sunday and excuses don't get results! Turns out the fine, misty rain that I ended up running through was quite cooling. There was also a strong headwind which was rather nice on the way home! Happy Thursday running folks xx

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

WATCH RECOMMENDATIONS!

Hey fam; I need some recommendations for fitness watches! I currently have a Fitbit Charge HR but it's about to die on me and I'd love something with GPS so I can find out how far I'm actually going... So hit me up please!

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

Mind your step... A guide to mindful running.

I know what you’re thinking.  Why is she providing advice when she’s only just started running? And you would be right to think that. However; I may be a newbie to running, but mindfulness is a very good friend of mine, so I thought I would share some of the examples of where these two worlds collide, and just how easy it is to run when you’re “paying attention”.

The idea of paying attention to what is going on when you’re running may be an absolute nightmare for some of you. Based on the blogs I’ve read so far, many people seem to love running because it is their time to “zone out” and not think about anything. I can understand that; it makes total sense! A bit of peace and quiet amongst the chaos that is everyday life sounds like total bliss, but if you’re like me and it’s a new thing, your thoughts are what make the difference between finishing your run and giving up. 

My first and probably most important point is about your breath. If any of you have ever taken a yoga class you’ve probably heard the instructor banging on about “tuning into the breath” which again, makes sense, because if you don’t breathe, you pass out and if you keep not breathing, you die. Being mindful while you run allows you to figure out what is happening to your breathing. This is important, because if you don’t breathe correctly, your muscles will fatigue and you will feel “puffed”. If you suddenly change your breathing, you’ll get stitch(!), and if you breathe through your mouth the whole time you’ll probably get light headed. SO here are my mindful running breathing tips; 1. When you start, those first few steps, tune into what your breathing is doing straight away. Try to establish a rhythm; for me, I find I can maintain breathing in through my nose for 2 strides and breathing out through my mouth for another 2 strides. If I do this, I don’t get stitch and I can run at a decent pace without feeling like I’m going to collapse.  2. If you’re tuned in, you’ll notice if and when your breathing changes; are you tempted to fall out of your rhythm when you hit a hill and pant like a labrador? Do you hold your breath when it’s hard or when something hurts? LISTEN TO YOUR BREATHING AND TRY TO KEEP IT STEADY! For me this makes all the difference for my endurance! 3. If you manage to get a steady breathing rhythm going, your mind can float to other areas of your body and check in with them. How’s your neck? Are you tensing your shoulders? Clenching your fists? Notice what your body is doing. If you feel tension anywhere, you can breathe to release it, thanks to your new found ability to regulate your oxygen intake. Imagine your muscles relaxing with that outward mouth breath. This check in is a great idea at the start of your run; a nice way to say “hey body, I’m going to do this thing; are you ready?” 

I’ve kind of primed you for my next bit of advice when I talked about checking in with your body. Being mindful means asking yourself; “how is my ... feeling?”. Notice your feet; notice how they hit the ground. Are they hitting the ground evenly, or are they collapsing to the middle? How does that make your knees feel? Do your legs feel heavy like lead or mobile like powerful pistons? My calves often hurt when I run (I’ve been told it’s a strength thing that will improve as I get fitter!) so a big thing for me is noticing how I can step in order to put less strain on them; a sort of continuous “trial and error” with each stride. If you feel a tightness or a cramping, come back to your breath, slow down your stride, and see if you can work in that deep exhalation and release some of the tension. Sounds fluffy but trust me; your mind is a powerful healer! If nothing else, you can monitor the twinges and make a better decision about whether you need to stop running. 

For me, gratitude is a massive part of mindfulness, and something I try to practice on my runs. When it gets hard (because it’s never totally easy when you’re starting out!) I glance down at my feet or look at my shadow as it’s moving and I feel an immense amount of gratitude. I feel grateful I have been blessed with a body that is mobile, one that I can train to be stronger and work with rather than against. After years of abusing, hating and ignoring my body, whenever I run I feel grateful that I am able to make positive changes, and that every single step (no matter how slow!) is helping me toward my goals. 

Last, but certainly not least, is being mindful of and celebrating the small victories. Every time you lace up your shoes you are winning! Tell yourself that even if it felt like a “bad” run, it really wasn’t because it was still a run! You got out there and you pounded the pavement and even if you had to walk or you weren’t as fast as you thought you could be, you made a commitment to your body and your health and your mind and that deserves acknowledgement. 

If you read this post to the end THANK YOU; I would love to hear from you if you have any tips or other stories like mine. We’re all in this together <3

[theveryreluctantrunner-blog]

Lacing up is never easy, I know.

Today sucked. Like really sucked. My family is in pieces and my dad had to have surgery on his heart today. That's glossing over the details, so just trust me when I say there were many times where curling into a ball and sobbing seemed like a good option. It was pouring with rain so I was convinced I wouldn't be able to do my planned run. Gradually, throughout the stress of the day, I had talked myself to a point where I was saying I didn't WANT to run. It was too gross outside, I was too worried about my dad, I had work I needed to finish. I had started feeding into and agreeing with that monologue that told me I didn't want to go for a run today. About 2pm I challenged this thought. I asked myself; "why don't you want to go for a run?" Then I responded "I'm hungry and I'm stressed and I don't want to get soaked and cold." Hmmm. Seemed reasonable. So I said to myself; "okay; you know that after a run you always feel good, and you own a pretty good raincoat AND you have an extra snack in your bag." Harumph. My inner child crossed its arms and scowled at me. "Just see how you feel after work and if you don't want to go, don't go." This satisfied me. I was supposed to run 9k this week, so the idea that I could go easy on myself was tempting. So 5pm rolled around and I was emotionally drained. My dad's surgery went well and he was awake and doing okay. I was exhausted from holding in my anxiety and it was still pouring with rain. I had to give my friend a ride home so I said to myself; "If you drop her off and you still don't want to go, don't go. But even 20 minutes would make a difference to your mood." I knew I was right. So I dropped my friend off and was driving home. The rain has passed over, but it was way later than I would usually get back and start my run. So I told myself; "just go for 20 minutes, get home and make your dinner and have an early night." I agreed with myself. So I got home, I put on my running gear. I felt okay. I laced up my shoes. I felt okay. I hit the pavement. I felt okay. After 10 minutes, I felt better. My mind was telling me "hey, you're out here. Good work pal. You can probably do 30 minutes." I was right. At 20 minutes I usually get over any "hump" I have when I start out, and the job becomes wonderful again. I hit 20 minutes and I felt pretty good; my body was warmed up and I felt ready to run. The next thing I knew I hit 30 minutes. I was feeling my legs powering on, I was noticing the rhythm in my breathing, I was covering some ground and I felt good. I felt really good. I checked my distance after a little while longer. 6.5km. I still felt good. I remembered the 10k race I had in 2 weeks time. "I'm over half way" I told myself. "Let's see how long I can go for. I don't have to hit 9ks, I can just go for as long as I feel I can." So I kept cruising. The rain was holding off. I wasn't feeling sore or too tired, I was enjoying myself. I hit 8.5km. By now I had reached the "home straight" of my run, and all of a sudden my thinking had changed to "hey Kate.. wanna see if you can do 10k today?!" And I felt a smile creep in. So guess what I did? I ran my first 10ks. It wasn't fast, but this has was one of the most psychologically difficult runs I've had to date. Do you know what the hardest part was? That decision to lace up my shoes. The rest was easy. I think we take for granted the mental strength required to do this sport, and I think we all deserve a pat on the back.