Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday’s view: lots of green, lots of light, lots of thanksgiving.

Why is it when you’re injured, you want to do that very thing you can’t do? And then when you’re healed, that thing you wanted so much to do but couldn’t because of said injury—you don’t want to do. I remember when my left ankle was swollen last year and I couldn’t run—let alone walk properly. Balance poses in yoga were a nightmare, because as soon as I lifted my right foot off the floor, I would wobble like a building in an earthquake. I was frustrated and kept counting the months when I could finally run again. Then the months of waiting turned into weeks, the weeks into days, and then yay, I was finally running pain-free! I remember the day when I didn’t have to break my 2-minute running stretches with 1-minute walks—it was the day I ran without any hint of pain in my ankle. I felt so accomplished, like I finished 42-K, when all I really did was four.

But now that I’m healthy and injury-free; now that I know I can run any time I want—it seems the motivation isn’t as clear-cut as it used to be. Dare I say, I’ve gotten lazy and have started making excuses not to go out and play. I’ve forgotten how, right after recuperation, each footstep was so precious and highly appreciated.

We tend to feel this when everything is laid out for us. When situations are uncomplicated and things are easily available, it’s so easy to gloss over them and be careless. Then when what we take for granted is taken away from us: our health, our job, our loved one—that’s when we realize how precious that thing or person really is.

And then yesterday afternoon, I went out for a run at a nearby trail. It was a flat course with crowned with a canopy of trees soaring above me. The sound of water flowing through a nearby brook, occasional rushes of cool wind against my skin, the crunching sound of leaves and twigs beneath my feet, the painless ankle, plus the wonderful company of my fiancé who ran with me—I could only dream of this last year, and yesterday I was actually enjoying ALL of it! This realization knocked me back to my senses and made me feel grateful for how far I’ve come from last year’s injury.

We need to look over our shoulder every now and then to see how far we’ve come forward. A glimpse at the past makes us appreciate what we have here and now. After briefly looking back, I come back to the present with a better attitude, with more motivation, and a heart overflowing with thanks.

When Boredom Strikes…

…you have to get creative.
The other day I was on my usual run when I realized I didn’t want to go through the same steady motions. The strong sunshine cast sharp shadows on the side walk, and so I decided to play a game. The rule: only run inside the tree shadows. My regular straight path turned into a maze, and my steady running pace transformed into quick sprints and occasional jumps as I bound from one tree silhouette to the next. Elderly people taking a stroll giggled in amusement as I strode past them. My heart rate rose, I broke into a sweat, and I turned a good run into a great one.

A Long And Lasting Glove

Spot the difference: My hand warmers for yesterday’s winter run

Yesterday as I donned my winter running wardrobe layer by layer I realized I was missing a glove, and so I set out to find a replacement. A wool sock would have been a good choice, but instead I found a newborn baby’s cap in my top drawer. My fiancé took it home as a souvenir when the birthing clinic at his workplace was launched several months ago. And so I slipped the long cap on to my right hand, which then resembled the head of a gnome.

As I ran in the cold, I couldn’t help laughing at my mismatched hand warmers. I  looked like I stuffed a gnome in my sleeve—like I stole someone’s garden ornament and was fleeing the crime scene. The pointy cap kept unraveling every time I wiped my nose or sneezed into it. Every so often I had to roll the tip back into my palm, only to have the long end unfurl minutes later. The part that stuck out resembled an unusually long finger flapping in the wind as I swung my arms to and fro.

There are days when you can’t wait to run, and there days when you have to drag yourself out the door to do it. Yesterday felt like the latter, but the incongruous hand warmers were a good distraction. In the beginning they helped move my mind away from the “task” of running, but before long, running was no longer a chore. In the end I got into the groove, I was breathing smoothly, my footsteps fell in a comfortable cadence, and yes my hands were warm and toasty.