Is It All In Your Head?
“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?” ― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Having my son home for a month between college and his summer music festival was a whirlwind, as always. While he was here he stole my pillow, caused us to run the dishwasher twice a day, drank an entire carton of oatmilk every two days, and used up all my laundry detergent. Let’s not even talk about car insurance. And once again he completely derailed my reading agenda. Last summer he convinced me to reread all of Harry Potter, and this time he got out our old Calvin and Hobbes books. When he was little, we read Calvin and Hobbes together all the time. In retrospect, it was kind of an odd choice- why was I reading Calvin and Hobbes to my three-year-old? Now he says these books shaped his sense of humor, and he wanted to revisit them. I decided to “just look through” the first book, and I got hooked. Every time I try to take out my serious, adult novel, I end up reading Calvin and Hobbes, while literally laughing out loud. In case anyone has never read these, the premise is that Calvin, a six-year-old boy, has a tiger for a best friend. To everyone else, Hobbes looks like a stuffed animal. But when it’s just Calvin and Hobbes, they have all sorts of hilarious adventures together. My son and I had so much fun discussing these cartoons again- “Remember when they drive the car into the ditch? Remember the snowman house of horrors?” And then my son asked the deep, philosophical question: “Is Hobbes real?” Of COURSE Hobbes is real. Depending, of course, on who’s experiencing him. This conversation took place at the dinner table, and my poor husband and daughter couldn’t understand what we were talking about. When I invoked the wisdom of Albus Dumbledore (see above quote) they literally begged us to change the subject. Around here, if you haven’t read Harry Potter or Calvin and Hobbes, you really have no idea what’s going on. What does all this have to do with running? WELL! Glad you asked. On Sunday I ran ten miles. Not an extremely long run, but long enough to experience some Florida heat. While I ran I listened to this podcast about a 50 mile race through the neighborhoods of Miami. Since it takes place in June, it was obviously hot AF. The top female finishers talked about digestive distress, muscle cramps, and dehydration. They had moments in the race where they thought they couldn’t go on, but ultimately overcame those thoughts to finish strong. The main thing, they agreed, is “It’s all in your head.” Obviously muscle cramps and dehydration are real. But the belief that you can’t continue to run is only real if you allow it to be. In a couple of my recent workouts, I found myself thinking that I needed to stop- so I did. But afterwards I was disappointed in myself. I wasn’t collapsing onto the ground, so obviously I had more in the tank. Knowing how powerful thoughts are, when I did my speed work last week I replaced the “I can’t do this” thoughts with “I’m strong, I’m good at this, and I can do it.” And, yes- I did it. Are thoughts real? 100%. Can you change your reality by changing your thoughts? 100%. Is it all in your head? Of course it is- but that doesn’t mean it’s not real. I’m linking up with Kim and Zenaida for their Tuesday Topics! Have you ever let your thoughts defeat you in a long run or race? Or, have you managed to turn around a bad situation by changing your thoughts? Is Hobbes real?
Weekly Rundown- And Then the Cyclone Hit…
Oof! After two nice, calm weeks, I was reminded in no uncertain terms that oh yes- I have two kids who suddenly had enormous needs. My daughter started camp, and the logistics of getting her back and forth were much more complicated than school. My son had to get ready for a summer music festival in Tennessee, and also… we bought a car! I still managed to squeeze in most of my workouts. Thanks as always to Kim and Deborah for hosting the Weekly Rundown. Let’s just see what the week was like… Sunday A long run! I decided to leave my hydration vest at home, and get my water from some water fountains instead. In order to make sure I got my water, I ended up running a little longer than planned- that’s okay, I’m happy to run 10.5 miles! In spite of my best intentions, I didn’t get out as early as I wanted- why is that so hard for me? But the heat didn’t really get to me. I was aware that it was hot, but felt strong for the whole run. I’m hoping this means I’m acclimated to the heat now. Monday My yoga day! I did a 30 minute yoga flow, as always on Peloton with Denis Morton. Tuesday My “run sandwich” ended up being open-faced today. I started with a 20 minute glutes and legs strength class with Matty Maggiacomo, and then did a two mile run. Normally I finish with another strength class, but had to transport my daughter to camp and then get to work. I hoped to do another strength class after work, but we ended up buying a car. Yes, we just thought this was the perfect time to purchase a car. JUST KIDDING. It’s probably the worst time in the history of cars to buy a car, but a year ago we told our son we would get him a car for his sophomore year, not realizing how difficult it would be. Well, he organized his life on the assumption that he would have a car, arranging to live in an apartment off campus, so we felt we needed to follow through. After much searching and gnashing of teeth, we found a 2019 Kia Soul with reasonably low mileage that was mysteriously in our price range. When we went to look at the car, the mystery was solved- it has several dents and some rust. Someone really treated this car roughly! The interior was nice and the engine is in great shape, but my husband felt a car with that many dents shouldn’t cost that much. Well… after pricing other cars for a week, we decided a few dents never hurt anyone! Luckily the car was still available, so we bought it. My son doesn’t care that it’s dented- he’s more interested in the interior (it’s roomy enough for his 6’5″ frame and it connects to Apple car play.) He has his priorities! Wednesday Speed work! After a mile warm up, I ran 3 x 1 mile at 5K pace. I wrote some thoughts about pace here. As usual, the negative thoughts threatened to take me down- in the middle of the second mile I was thinking “Why am I training for a race, anyway? I’m not an Olympic athlete! Maybe I should just run for fun instead.” In the beginning of the third mile I wanted to quit, but I was ready this time. Here’s what I’ve discovered: It doesn’t work to try to reason the negative thoughts away. If I argue with myself, the voice that wants to quit will always win. Instead I have to focus on something else so the negative thoughts don’t get in. This time, I used one of my favorite mantras: “I’m strong, I’m good at this, I can do it.” I repeated that over and over again. I also focused on getting just to the next telephone pole, then the next one, then the next one. I felt like I was slowing down, but kept pushing and when my watch beeped for the mile (thank God, finally!) I was right on pace. I felt really good about this run, and then did my favorite Rebecca Kennedy core class. Thursday I have a favorite 30 minute Matty Maggiacomo glutes and legs strength class- but today I did his 20 minute class from 7/29/21, and it’s now my favorite of his 20 minute classes. He calls this class “Lunge-a-palooza.” and I like lunges! I also did pull-ups, and a 5 minute core class. THEN, I did a Denis Morton’s 20 minute yoga flow from 9/1/21. I chose this class randomly, but out of sheer luck it turned out to be the perfect class to do after Lunge-a-palooza. It was a hip opener class, with pigeon and lizard poses- lots of great stretches. Friday Started the day with a nice, easy three mile run… …followed by a Jess Sims core class. Then, the insanity began. I worked all day, and meanwhile my son was supposed to be packing for his festival. I arrived home to find the entire living room in disarray, with the suitcase open and empty and clothes everywhere. But, we had no time for that because we had to drive up to my daughter’s camp to hear her concert. Proud parent moment! It was a music camp, and she played guitar in a jazz band. It was the first time she performed an improvised solo. Okay, she didn’t sound like a professional musician, but she’s only thirteen! I was so touched by all the kids who were brave enough to stand up in front of an audience and play an improvised jazz solo- it brought tears to my eyes. I love these concerts. On the drive home, the conversation went something like this: (son) “Mom, where are those extra long twin sheets I brought to the FSU camp five years ago?” (me) “I don’t know! Why?” “Well, I need to bring them to Tennessee
Aging Up?
On Wednesday, I did my weekly speed work. This week the workout was 3 x 1 mile at 5K pace, with a short break in between each mile. The first two were moderately hard, and the last one left me gasping for breath. I really had to dig deep to hold my pace, but I did it! And what exactly was that pace? 9:00 per mile. I know pace is personal. There are people who can’t even dream of running a 5K at 9:00 pace, and others who run 8 minute miles for their easy pace. So I’m not comparing myself to anyone else… I’m going to briefly compare my current self to my past self. For my race on July 4th, I’m hoping to run the 5K at a 9:00/mile pace. Three years ago, I ran a half marathon at that same pace. And in 1998, I ran a full marathon at that pace. Okay, I was 32 years old. Still… How is it possible I’m running that much slower? Granted, I haven’t been doing speed work, and I’ve had a bunch of injuries. Is that all it is, or is part of this decline due to the “A” word? Here’s my philosophy about getting older: take age into consideration but don’t use it as an excuse. For example, I’ve read that doing plyometrics can cause plantar fasciitis in older runners. Well, I’m “older” and I’ve also had issue with PF, so I approach plyometrics cautiously. I also know that strength training is necessary as we age to prevent muscle loss, so I now embrace it wholeheartedly. But… call me an optimist, or call me completely delusional, I don’t believe that my age is preventing me from running fast. This article talks about the effect of aging on running, and what we can do about it. The author points out that he, like most of us, is coming nowhere near to his personal potential. “And if I’m willing to do the work, then I can get closer and closer to that potential, which will give me the results as if I was younger and not coming close to my potential.” When I ran that sub- 4 hour marathon in 1998 I don’t believe I was anywhere near my potential. I had no idea how to train properly. I had never heard of drills, or mobility work, and I did no strength training. Who’s to say that by doing everything correctly now, I might not still have a PR in me? I’m not saying that it will happen- I’m just saying that it could. I’m not ready to give up on it yet. And if it doesn’t happen… hey, that’s what age groups are for. I can still train hard and improve from where I am now, and be competitive in my age group. When I finished that third mile of my workout, pushing through to stay at a 9:00/mile pace, I felt the same exhilaration that any runner feels when they push themselves hard. Who cares what pace I was running? Well…. I do, apparently. But that’s part of what makes running fun for me- the desire and ability to push myself and get better at it. At the age of 56, I can still hope. I’m linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida for Fit Five Friday! Thanks ladies! If you run, are you still shooting for PRs? If not, when did you stop? Do you think your age is holding you back?
Do You Love What You Do?
I think we’ve all heard the saying, “Find what you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” But how many of us actually love our work so much that it doesn’t feel like work? Does anyone? If my work feels like work, am I doing it wrong? Did I pick the wrong career? Am I a sucker, going to work every day while everyone else is doing what they love? This article from the Dorie Clark newsletter presents a better idea. Aim to love at least 20% of what you do- instead of loving everything, find certain aspects of what you do, certain situations or moments, that you love. Apparently there’s actual data that shows 20% is a good threshold. Well! I can do that! When I really think about my job (as a massage therapist), realistically the amount of time I’m in a “flow” state, where I’m completely absorbed in the work, or end a session with a sense of exhilaration, is about 20%. There’s probably about 20% of the time (give or take, depending on the day) where I’m actually uncomfortable- either too warm, or something hurts, or I have a difficult client- and the rest of the time falls somewhere in between. I thought about this at work today, and it actually made my job more pleasant. I allowed myself to admit that I don’t like certain things- like I’m not crazy about working on people’s arms- but also thought about those parts of the massage that make up the 20% that I enjoy. I applied the same strategy to the bigger picture- I don’t usually like greeting brand-new people (my old shyness kicks in) but I do enjoy getting caught up with clients I see regularly. It was freeing to acknowledge that there are aspects of the job I don’t like- but that doesn’t mean I’m doing anything wrong. It’s just life. So then I started thinking about running. Obviously I like much more than 20% of my running, right? Of course I don’t love every minute of every run- I’ve had some very uncomfortable runs lately in the heat. Come to think of it, I have plenty of unpleasant moments in my runs. Races where the last mile (or two) is torture, long runs where it feels like the sun is trying to kill me, and some speed work sessions where I just want to quit and lie down. Hmm, that’s funny… In all honesty, only about 20% of my runs have that effortless, flying quality; about 20% feel awful and I want to quit, and the rest are somewhere in between. Kind of like the rest of life- and yet I’ve never questioned whether or not I love running, or thought that maybe I’m in the wrong sport. I just accept the good with the bad and leave it at that. So why not do that with the rest of life- work, family, household chores…aim to love 20% and call it a success? Maybe the 20% formula is the secret to living a happier life. How about you? What percentage of your work do you truly love? Is it more or less than 20%? Does 20% sound too low to you?