Running
Back in September, I signed up for The Color Run, a 5k run to be held in January. I honestly thought it might be a big stretch to run that far just 5 months after open heart surgery. Nevertheless, I started training, thinking that being able to run 3.1 miles by January was a little much for me, but I might as well try. Worst case scenario: I would prove myself right. Best case scenario: I would prove myself wrong.
Little did I know, I would be proving myself wrong in so many ways. Not only that, but running has taught me some very important lessons.
1. It doesn't matter how slow you go, so long as you don't stop.
This is applicable in so many other aspects of my life. I struggle at times to just acknowledge and celebrate where I am, and how far I've come. Sometimes, I need a gentle reminder that it's okay that I'm taking my time, as long as I don't give up. When I'm running, the first mile is always the hardest for me. Getting started is always hard. But once you're moving, it's easier to keep going. As long as you're moving, you're making progress.
2. You're way stronger than you think you are.
Hey Maya, remember that time that you had open heart surgery, and then 4 months later, you were up and running 3-5 miles a day? That's right. You're awesome.
.
Whenever I'm having a really hard time keeping motivated while I run, I think back to my first night in the hospital. I remember the weight of my pain crushing my ribs, and the incredible effort it took just to breathe. I remember how I couldn't even reposition myself in bed without help from my nurse. Laying there, I would have given anything to be able to even breathe without being in intense pain. Now, I have an opportunity each and every day to breathe, and not just breathe, but to gasp for air as I sprint the last minute of my run, or feel the strong, ever-present thump thump of my heartbeat as I cool down.
I know pain. Having your chest cracked open is pain. But the pain of running is a different kind of pain. It's a pain that builds, that heals, that makes me stronger.
3. Push yourself.
I was so tired on Monday. I came home from work, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Instead, I took a 15 minute power nap (read: 15 minute Hulu+ session), whined as I got my running clothes on, and then dragged myself out of the house and onto the open roads. A 30 minute run turned into a 35 minute run, which turned into a "I'll just run the rest of the way home", which turned into a 5 mile run. I was so incredibly proud of myself. I love running because I love proving myself wrong, over and over and over again:
Hey Maya, I bet you can't run another 5 minutes.
Watch me.
How about up this hill?
Easy as pie.
Can I keep going? Yes.
How about now? Yes.
And finally:
Can I keep going?
Not right now...but I'm going to get back out there tomorrow and try even harder.
Little did I know, I would be proving myself wrong in so many ways. Not only that, but running has taught me some very important lessons.
1. It doesn't matter how slow you go, so long as you don't stop.
This is applicable in so many other aspects of my life. I struggle at times to just acknowledge and celebrate where I am, and how far I've come. Sometimes, I need a gentle reminder that it's okay that I'm taking my time, as long as I don't give up. When I'm running, the first mile is always the hardest for me. Getting started is always hard. But once you're moving, it's easier to keep going. As long as you're moving, you're making progress.
 |
| my first run after surgery. |
2. You're way stronger than you think you are.
Hey Maya, remember that time that you had open heart surgery, and then 4 months later, you were up and running 3-5 miles a day? That's right. You're awesome.
.
Whenever I'm having a really hard time keeping motivated while I run, I think back to my first night in the hospital. I remember the weight of my pain crushing my ribs, and the incredible effort it took just to breathe. I remember how I couldn't even reposition myself in bed without help from my nurse. Laying there, I would have given anything to be able to even breathe without being in intense pain. Now, I have an opportunity each and every day to breathe, and not just breathe, but to gasp for air as I sprint the last minute of my run, or feel the strong, ever-present thump thump of my heartbeat as I cool down.
I know pain. Having your chest cracked open is pain. But the pain of running is a different kind of pain. It's a pain that builds, that heals, that makes me stronger.
3. Push yourself.
I was so tired on Monday. I came home from work, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Instead, I took a 15 minute power nap (read: 15 minute Hulu+ session), whined as I got my running clothes on, and then dragged myself out of the house and onto the open roads. A 30 minute run turned into a 35 minute run, which turned into a "I'll just run the rest of the way home", which turned into a 5 mile run. I was so incredibly proud of myself. I love running because I love proving myself wrong, over and over and over again:
Hey Maya, I bet you can't run another 5 minutes.
Watch me.
How about up this hill?
Easy as pie.
Can I keep going? Yes.
How about now? Yes.
And finally:
Can I keep going?
Not right now...but I'm going to get back out there tomorrow and try even harder.
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