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Posts Tagged ‘stress’

My Love/Hate Relationship With Running

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , on September 13, 2010| 8 Comments »

Okay, I am going to admit it.  I have a love/hate relationship with running.

There used to be NO relationship between myself and running.  We were as far apart as Sarah Palin and reality.  I used to pass runners in my car at all times of day and think that they were totally insane to be out pounding the pavement.  I only ran if I was scared.

And then a very strange thing happened a few years back.  A couple of good friends in my neighbourhood and I, decided to join a learn-to-run program so that we could get into shape.  I gained a respect for runners and slowly I became one myself. Now, it did not happen overnight. When I first started I could barely run for one minute without collapsing and gasping for air. I wanted to quit numerous times.  In fact, I have quit numerous times.  This is what I mean by love/hate relationship.

Since I started running I have trained religiously, three to four times a week and raced a few 5K’s and a couple of 10K’s.  And then I stop.  Usually it is because my life (or so I like to believe) has become too stressful and other things become a priority and I can’t fit in the runs.  Really these are just lame excuses.  The whole beauty of running is that you can do it anywhere and all you need is a pair of running shoes and space. But for some reason, I stop.  And then I feel guilty.

Running makes me feel amazing.  It relieves stress.  I am able to think about the day and with each step that I take, a bit of the stress is pounded into the pavement.  It is alone time.  I love the solitude.  Just me and my music, pushing myself to go a little longer or a little faster.  And I love the health benefits, I always feel more energized.  So… why does it sometimes seem soo hard to get my butt of the couch and go?!

I think it is because I train really hard and then I stop and it is really hard to get back into it again.  Nothing deeper than that.  I have to make it a priority.

Yesterday I went on my first run in about four months.  It was raining and gloomy.  My kind of running weather.  I am one of those bizarre people who actually enjoys running in the rain, snow and cold.  I detest running in the heat.  I ran along the Hudson River. It was awesome.  And again, I asked myself, why did I stop?

No more excuses, this time I am in for the long haul.  Running really is about 90% mental, so I just have to stop playing games with myself, commit to the relationship and let go of the hate.

My First 5K with 4 Fabulous Women! (#989)

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Namaste, it’s Friday!!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on September 3, 2010| 5 Comments »

Soo, the other day I made the delicious mistake of walking into Pure Yoga.  Mistake for my bank account that is.  The place is like walking into pure heaven.  It is quiet, relaxing, smells incredible and the people are super friendly.  Did I mention that it is quiet??  A lovely woman at the front desk asked me if I had time for a tour and of course I had time, just by walking in there my blood pressure had dropped and my stress level had decreased.  Ooom, ya! Needless to say the place does not disappoint.  The locker room is gorgeous- brand new, spotless, showers that actually well, work, and there is a STEAM room.  I was sold after the locker room and that was before I had even seen the beautiful yoga studios.  Hell, I didn’t even need to practice yoga, I just wanted to go hang out on the comfy couches and use the steam room.  I walked out with a membership and lets just say that it is a tad more expensive than Hubby’s gym membership- oops!

These gorgeous doors were calling my name...

Now I actually have to practice yoga, I don’t think Ron will be too pleased if I just go there to hang out on the couches and read- then again he wouldn’t really know, would he? I went to my first class the other night.  I had the initial pre-class anxiety of “what if’s”. What if I release a toxic smell during the class?  What if the class is filled with hard body types who look at me with athletic judgement? What if I am totally un-cordinated and can do none of the moves? And worst of all- what if I get into an awkward position that I can’t get out of? And then I walked into the magic cone of silence and did an amazing thing, I relaxed.

NYC can be a pretty intense, action packed, overwhelming place.

Trying to get into Fairway on the Friday before a long weekend. You thought I was joking yesterday, right?

Sometimes you just need a place to go where you can calm the voices in your head and tune out the never ending sirens (not that I don’t appreciate the men in uniform). Oh, and sometimes I just really need to get away from my children too 😉 Did I mention that it was quiet?  Wishing you all a wonderfully peaceful Friday and a fabulous long weekend.

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