JJSB RunDate 17048: February Update

Hi gang!

Just dropping in to give a quick update on my February running goal.
At the end of January, I found myself struggling to get out and run and one of the ways I decided to try and jump start myself was to set a goal of topping the total number of miles I have ever run in February.  You can read about that here:  Somewhere Slump and Crisis

But before I started, I knew I needed a well laid out running schedule so I went to guy I always go to:  Mr. Hal Higdon,
I've done quite a few of his different training schedules but this time, I decided to go with his Half-Marathon Novice 2 Training Program.  It just felt like a nice gradual return to a steady running program.

So far, it's going quite well.  I had several somewhat cold days at the beginning of the training, but the weather as of late in KC has been much warmer than typical for February so the conditions are ideal for me to surpass my goal.  I'm on week 3 so I'll b e running 6 miles today.  It;s currently 53F at 9am and is supposed to get up to around 72F.  I'll actually need to get out there before it gets too warm.  Unheard of for February in these parts!

My total miles for Feb. so far is 31.24 so after today's run, I'll be around 37.24.  72% of the way to setting a personal Feb. record!
I've missed one day of the training program so it set me just a bit behind but I'm still on course to pass 51.85 just before the end of the month.

The one day I missed was a 4 mile run on Wednesday of this week.  It was kind of a rough day which ended with parent-teacher conferences that went until 7:00pm or so and I was just kind of sick to my stomach.
At least I did follow what I have learned and stuck to my schedule for the next night.  When I missed Wednesday, I thought, oh, I'll make it up the next night or run and extra night (Friday) but I reminded myself that when a day is missed, it's almost always better just to stick to the schedule.

Anyway, just wanted to give an update.

Get out and run folks!

Peace to you!

JJSB RunDate 17035: One Example of The Therapy of Running

As I've mentioned in previous posts, one of the main reasons that I run is for mental health.  I'm extremely thankful that over the past several years of running, I have been able to use it to combat anxiety on a number of different levels.  I used to take medication to deal with my anxiety but through the strategic use of running, I was able to move away from having to take medication every day.  Although there have been many times running has helped me, it has taken me a while to learn how to best use running in this area of my life.  Today was a good example, so I thought I would share it.

There's a friend of mine that I've had a bit of a falling out with.  This friend and I sent a couple of emails back and forth sort of calling each other out and the last one sent was by me the day before yesterday, on Thursday evening.  I was pretty upset about the last email I had received so the response I sent was quite terse.  I spent the rest of the evening feeling more hurt that I had in a long time and just contemplating the whole situation.
Now, I knew that there would likely be a response and I suspected that it would be somewhat confrontational and would come the next morning.

I didn't get around to checking my email the next day (Friday) until well after noon but when I did, sure enough, there was a response.

I didn't read it.

Instead, I left it sitting there.

Rather than reading it and taking a chance on ruining my work day, my evening or my sleep last night, I just let it sit.

Rather than letting it possibly ruin my Saturday morning, I let it sit,.

In fact, I let it sit until just before I went for my Saturday run.

This is my mental strategy now.  As much as I am able, I gear stressful circumstances around my running schedule.

And it works.  Yes, the email response from my friend was terse and passive aggressively provocative, but as soon as I was finished reading it, I went running.
While running, I had time to think, contemplate, reflect and form a cogent and honest response.
As I ran, my breathing steady and my senses clear, I experienced calm, peace and clarity.

And hopefully the email response that I just sent a couple of hours ago reflected that.

Whatever the case may be, I feel good about what I said and the manner in which I conveyed it and running helped me achieve that.