Running |

Endurance. Staying power. Perseverance. The ability to withstand great hurdles, great distances, and sometimes great pains. We’ve all faced it at one time or another, whether at work, in a relationship, or in the playground, we’ve all had to endure at one point in our lives.

I’m no stranger to it, but when I think of the word endurance, I often think of running.

I run. I always have, and I’ve always been good at covering long distances rather quickly. Geez, I hope this isn’t a metaphor for life… but anyway. I run to clear my head, to reflect, and to make serious decisions. I’m not sure why it works that way for me, but maybe it’s the rhythm I settle into. I find it therapeutic, and I feel lucky that I do. All I often need is a pair of shorts and my shoes. It doesn’t matter if I know where I’m going to not, it’s the process that calms my soul.

I am an endurance athlete, and I have endured what life has dished up. To this point, none of it has been particularly painful, and I am grateful for that.

May we always endure!

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The image above was taken with my phone yesterday along the Rideau Canal. I was tossing stones into the water with my younger son and admiring the beauty that Autumn loves to throw at us.

My first pair of shoes

As I woke, I peeked out the bedroom window to get a sense of the day ahead. I often do that so I know whether it is sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy… whatever. I also saw my neighbour returning home from an early morning workout. That was the spark I needed to get back into my running shoes.

I had breakfast and got the kids off to daycare just as I always do, but I also let my mind relax so it could plan out my first run of 2013. After returning home from my pre-work chores, I quickly jumped into my running gear, darted out the door… and ran.

It felt so good to be back on the road again, to feel the sun on my face, to feel my heart race, and listen to the metronomic (I think I just made that word up) cadence of my feet gripping the pavement with each bound.

I felt free, and for a brief period I felt completely unplugged from the rest of the world and living solely within myself. No computers, no tablets, no cell phones… just ME!

I love running because it allows me to slow things down, to reflect, to think. Running is my time to completely zen out and gather my thoughts. I think nearly every great idea or decision I’ve made in life has come while running.

The rest of the day was a complete joy. I was happy, I was upbeat. I am often those things, but it felt less forced yesterday and I attribute that to my morning run.

I can’t stress enough how important exercise is for the mind. I think people often treat exercise as just another chore to complete, but I think that if we can find the one form of exercise that truly lets us relax, and lets our minds become free, then we can be much happier. I believe that exercise can help us see things more clearly, deal with challenges more easily, and live a more productive life.

What is it that helps you recharge and regroup from your busy schedules? I’d love to find out what you do by leaving a comment below.