It took me a fair few days to get over last Sunday's trail race - my calves were decidedly 'smashed' for want of a better term. I attempted a light, and very short 20 minute recovery run on Wednesday afternoon but my legs told me: "not yet, not quite fixed yet". I ended up cancelling a charity run I was aiming to go to on Friday evening and another trail run up at Heaton Gap this morning - listening to my body, and giving it a bit of a break from running (sticking with 3 bodypump classes and my usual walking throughout the week). Although I did manage to go for an awesome, slow, long run early this morning after all (thinking if I kept it close to home then if my calves played up at least I could walk home and wouldn't be stuck in the bush!). And now? Well now I feel AWESOME and my legs feel back to normal. Woohoo!! Must have been all those healing foods, turmeric, rest, and strength training, as I'm now back in the game!
Just in time too as the month of November will see me attempt to complete a cumulative 150km - a virtual run with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (more details here: http://imfvirtualrun.com/). There were a range of distances to choose from, from 3km right up to 150km, but I thought, why not?? It's for a great cause, and you even get a shiny medal with your chosen distance on at the end of the event/month. You can even walk your kms, or run/walk - I am going to try and get mine in via running alone, just so that it's a challenge and something out of the ordinary for me - as I usually walk a minimum of 7km++ a day as my mode of transport into town and back, and this adds up to at least 140km (just counting Monday-Friday walks) from transport alone. So, as of this morning's awesome (but slow) session, I am now 22km into my 150km target.
As I was running along the foreshore early this morning, I passed a group of revellers wearing blankets and looking a bit worse for wear, having clearly been out still after the festival that was held down on the foreshore yesterday. One of the girls and I exchanged a knowing look and a smile, and I felt the true meaning of the word Namaste hey: the light in me recognises the light in you, or the soul in me recognises the soul in you - or whichever way you like to interpret it. There was an exchange of more than just a smile: we respected each other and smiled at the other, sending out love to each other with absolutely no judgement: each going about our morning at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum: her having not yet gone home and gone to sleep and having various chemical-induced highs and dancing all day and night, and me having gotten up super early to be out there in the early morning light and running to get my running-induced natural highs - yet both of us meeting in the middle at that awesome time of day (the best time of day for sure). As I continued on, along the foreshore, lost in my own thoughts, it struck me: I used to be her! Well, not literally of course, but in years gone by I would have been in exactly her position. In fact, I think before the festival yesterday was 'This That' it stemmed from 'Fat As Butter' back in the day, which I went to in 2008, before I left Newcastle. Back in the day, it was unthinkable for me to even consider going out, going to a new town or country, or meeting new people, or doing something new, without something lined up for it, be that alcohol (the worst and legal drug) or something else again. Here's me circa 2004:
Just in time too as the month of November will see me attempt to complete a cumulative 150km - a virtual run with all proceeds going to the Indigenous Marathon Foundation (more details here: http://imfvirtualrun.com/). There were a range of distances to choose from, from 3km right up to 150km, but I thought, why not?? It's for a great cause, and you even get a shiny medal with your chosen distance on at the end of the event/month. You can even walk your kms, or run/walk - I am going to try and get mine in via running alone, just so that it's a challenge and something out of the ordinary for me - as I usually walk a minimum of 7km++ a day as my mode of transport into town and back, and this adds up to at least 140km (just counting Monday-Friday walks) from transport alone. So, as of this morning's awesome (but slow) session, I am now 22km into my 150km target.
As I was running along the foreshore early this morning, I passed a group of revellers wearing blankets and looking a bit worse for wear, having clearly been out still after the festival that was held down on the foreshore yesterday. One of the girls and I exchanged a knowing look and a smile, and I felt the true meaning of the word Namaste hey: the light in me recognises the light in you, or the soul in me recognises the soul in you - or whichever way you like to interpret it. There was an exchange of more than just a smile: we respected each other and smiled at the other, sending out love to each other with absolutely no judgement: each going about our morning at the complete opposite ends of the spectrum: her having not yet gone home and gone to sleep and having various chemical-induced highs and dancing all day and night, and me having gotten up super early to be out there in the early morning light and running to get my running-induced natural highs - yet both of us meeting in the middle at that awesome time of day (the best time of day for sure). As I continued on, along the foreshore, lost in my own thoughts, it struck me: I used to be her! Well, not literally of course, but in years gone by I would have been in exactly her position. In fact, I think before the festival yesterday was 'This That' it stemmed from 'Fat As Butter' back in the day, which I went to in 2008, before I left Newcastle. Back in the day, it was unthinkable for me to even consider going out, going to a new town or country, or meeting new people, or doing something new, without something lined up for it, be that alcohol (the worst and legal drug) or something else again. Here's me circa 2004:
And here's me in a more recent picture (last week at Kedumba's trail race):
Oh how times and people have changed. I was talking about this with a good friend yesterday, about how we have both definitely changed, and that whilst we don't regret all the years of partying and things we did back in the day, that there is no way we would to revisit those times again. I'm glad I had all those experiences and adventures sure, as if I hadn't then maybe I'd be curious now (a late bloomer in that regards if this was the case) but I wouldn't go back for all the vodka/pingers/insert-substance-of-your-choice-here in the world. This sounds hugely clichéd but truly: nothing compares to the feeling of extreme, constant happiness and clarity that I have these days (since removing drugs like alcohol etc from my life), and there is nothing quite like that runner's high either. I used to believe that saying that you have to have the bad times to appreciate the good times, or that of course, you should expect the hangovers and come-downs - just a part of having the really fun times, yes? Can't have one without the other? Wrong! I've realised lately that you CAN have highs and great times without any lows to follow. Don't believe me? Try it for yourself. No pressure of course, and each to their own hey. But I have found something that really works for me, and whilst there may be stresses that come and go (mainly financial stresses/worries - which will probably never go away, so why bother worrying about them anymore?) that for the most part, I am ecstatic and happy. Like, all the time. I reckon it all comes down to the choices we make: I've made some unfortunate choices in the past (say, oh, from age 18 to 25 ish? lol) but everything really does happen for a reason, and now I'm choosing the path that's right for me.
Enjoy your Sunday, and Namaste hey :)
Enjoy your Sunday, and Namaste hey :)
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