When I know I am going for a run I know:
Where I am going and for how long
I know what I should be eating the night before
I know when to go to bed and wake up so I have time for the run
I know what I should do post-run even up to 2-3 days following, depending on distance
I know how many hills to do (or avoid) depending on distance
I wear water if I know I will be gone more than an hour
And not lastly in terms of importance, but I know if/how much “lube” to use depending on distance
This last race we are all joining has no finish line, no expectations, no map, no “what to expect” list on the website and lastly, no swag at the finish line.
We do not know where the finish line is. We do not know how long we will be homeschooling, searching for milk and TP nor do we know how long we will be keeping our distance from one another.
Because I don’t know when it ends, it is getting harder and harder to pace myself. Harder to know what to do/not to do. Harder to grasp a rest/work/sleep/slough off/work hard/sunshine/hunker down/scream out loud balance.
When I know the distance, the route, the expectations of a run, I pace myself. I swing my hips side to side and embrace the steep downhills. I sip water every so often on long runs. I shake out my arms, roll my neck and if needed, take a walk break.
When I know the distance, I have prepared myself for days previous. Like I avoid popcorn, spinach salads, curry and broccoli the day before.
In this season, I feel like every day is a race when someone has suddenly said “GO!” and I am wearing PJ’s and flips. Suddenly streams of people are all around me, 6 feet away, trying to gasp enough air to get on board with this Crazytown race. I feel like the “aid” stations are all run by super smart, virologists and government officials but they too are in their jammies and baseball caps to cover their grey roots that have started to show.
I feel like there is an end, there has to be an end, and I have faith that end will come. I know one day there will be a “back to normal” in the sense that we will one day have some freedoms back.
But I also wonder how we will all be different. How we will have learned to run an ultra-marathon without training, without the Gu and without the right running socks. What habits are we picking up that will see us through until the end?
I heard a story of a neighbor who is losing weight in this time because they used to eat out all the time. Now that she is cooking homemade food, she is feeling healthier.
I hear stories of couples spending more time together and their marriages strengthening.
I know my neighborhood is more active and enjoying the warmer weather: the sidewalks are much fuller than before.
I also know I hear way more positive feedback on the teachers and school admin since this whole COVID-19 started.
What are you doing to pace yourself? Your families?
One of my favorite verses:
And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12, part of verse 1 and part of verse 2