March Runfessions- Deep Thoughts
First of all, how in the world is it already the end of March? What’s going on? Time is just flying by. As always on the last Friday of the month, I’m linking up with Marcia and her “runfessional.” Since I haven’t been running as much lately, I’ve had extra time to ponder some Great Truths. I know… you wish I would stick to my usual topics of the weather and digestive issues. Well, this time we’re going deep- let’s get started! So… I have to runfess that I’ve been feeling pretty down lately. I blamed it on not being able to do my birthday long run, but I think the problem is bigger than that. Running is how I experience the outdoors. I always love my long runs because they’re my weekly adventures. While I’m grateful that I’m able to run at all, three mile runs around my neighborhood- in the early morning darkness- aren’t very exciting. The chapter I just finished in Pema Chodron’s Welcoming the Unwelcome is called “Beyond the Comfort Zone.” She shows this model describing the process of growth: We’re naturally drawn to the Comfort Zone. The Learning/Challenge Zone is where growth occurs, and the Excessive Risk Zone is to be avoided as too risky to encourage growth. I started thinking: “When was the last time I got out of my comfort zone?” As a matter of fact, I can’t remember the last time I did much of anything at all, other than the usual work, runs, and Peloton classes. This past weekend was spent binge watching old episodes of Spring Baking Championship on Discovery Plus, while sitting on the couch with a huge bowl of popcorn. The funny thing is, the whole point of the comfort zone is to make you feel better, but the longer you stay there, the worse you feel. I decided I needed to do something, anything to get myself out of this rut. So I searched up races, and picked the weirdest one I could find. It’s a 5K trail run to benefit the Solid Waste Authority. It was a little hard to convince my husband- I think it sounded like we were going to be running through a huge garbage dump or something- but I signed us both up. According to the website, “The Run AWAY 5K is a unique race that takes participants AWAY through cabbage palms, cypress hammocks, marshes and lush pine flat woods, with glimpses of Grassy Waters Preserve and the Renewable Energy Park.” That sounds pretty good! I hope we get a t-shirt that says “Solid Waste Authority” on it. The race is April 3rd, and- to make it further outside my comfort zone- it’s over an hour away and starts at 7:30 am. Neither one of us is in shape to actually race a 5K- I haven’t done any real speedwork in about two years- but it will be a new experience. I’m feeling better already! Hopefully my foot will hold up to some faster running… I’ll find out. But I can’t just continue to sit around and wait for my foot to be 100% healed before I can enjoy life again. I have to get out there and do what I can with the limitations I have right now. The “Run Away” 5K is a perfect start. What do you take refuge in for your comfort zone? – We all need to be in our comfort zone sometimes. If you find yourself in a rut, how do you get out of your comfort zone?