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Monday, November 12, 2012

Two Times the Charm

Today, I had the day off work, but my brain was "occupado" with an issue that was gnawing at me.  So, I figured I'd start the day with a run both in an attempt to get the run done and to allow my mind the opportunity to contemplate.

Unfortunately, the run was no fun from the start: I hadn't eaten any breakfast and my tumbly was a rumbly, and then despite the fact that running usually allows me the opportunity to let my mind wander, I just couldn't focus.  A half mile into it, I knew that this run wasn't happening.  I threw in the towel and walked home; my brain no better for the lack of a completed run.

I spent the day organizing dressers, closets, and shelves -- cleaning out old clothes and toys and sorting what should be kept, re-organized, donated, and thrown.  After organizing, I got to cleaning -- the deep kind of cleaning I only get to do about once every few months.

The combination of organizing and cleaning felt good: cleansing, refreshing.  This helped ease my mind of the issue that was nagging me, but as my chores drew to a close, I still knew that I could benefit from finishing the run I'd started earlier in the day.  Originally, I'd planned to reward my housework with a mani/pedi, but I decided that my feet would be put to better use by pounding the pavement.

So, I laced up and headed out for the day's second attempt at getting a run done.  This time, I also chose to take along my Shuffle for some tunes, and I had a great run: 3 "fast" miles (a 9:30 pace, for me, that's smokin').  When I finished the run, I felt much better: My problem wasn't gone in those 30 minutes, but the run allowed me to see that the issue wasn't as dramatic as I'd made it out to be; plus, I just felt more mentally sound.  I was still unsettled, but I could put the issue into better perspective.

This is why I run. 

It provides me with the necessary mental and emotional release I need, and when I have something tugging at me, bothering me, my first instinct is to "run on it."  My friend Wendy said once that we're "all running away from something," and that has always been a sentence that has lingered with me for contemplation.  Do I run away from issues instead of face them?  Maybe.  But, after literally thinking on her statement for years, I have come to the conclusion that running is my way of facing what troubles me; it helps me determine how to solve problems or how to allow to "lay down" some problems.  And, I figure, there are worse ways of dealing with such issues.

What do you think?  Are we all running away from something?  Or, running toward something? 

Is it just two sides of the same coin?

5 comments:

Erin said...

I thought I would do more thinking while I run but all I seem to think about is getting done or singing along to my music. When I used to walk, I did much more mental talk. Cleaning is my therapy. Glad you got both in.

BTW, the mall was a zoo. I walked out of a few stores since I couldn't stand the wait.

Mom, inc. said...

hope all is ok w/ u!

i couldn't agree more about using running as a way to think on things. my take on it is that you stop using mental energy and your mind can clear and it just becomes easier to think.

MCM Mama said...

I think it's ok to be running away from something as long as you come back. Even if I don't spend run time solving a problem, running settles me down, which gives me a better chance at solving the problem later. I tease my boss that he should pay me for the hours I spend running because I always seem to solve whatever issue the company is having while I'm running, even if I didn't actually intend to think about it. LOL.

Carolina John said...

I can't give you a coin and ask if you want the head side or the tails side. Ya gotta take the whole coin. I come up with plenty of great ideas and solutions to problems while I'm out on the road.

Unknown said...

I run through issues too. It seems to help me clear my head and then I can deal with things better. I don't know that I'd call it either of those things (running from something or running toward something), but running THROUGH something.