Running lessons: Pain is temporary

"Pain is temporary, pride is forever." 

It's a quote I've repeated often to myself over the years - especially, in the midst of my longest, toughest runs. Usually, I focus on the pride I'll feel if I stick with my training but, during my long run Sunday afternoon, it was the pain I was pondering.

Any running coach will tell you you should never ignore pain because it often has important things to tell you. On the other hand, if you pay it too much attention, it can quickly discourage you from training altogether. It's a tricky balance.

My runs felt tough last week - mostly because the tightness in my quads and hip flexors, which I'd thought was resolved before we left for Scotland, returned with a vengeance after I spent a week walking Indy (the rescue dog) 5 or 6 kilometres a day. I suspect the trouble was I was walking too quickly. Or maybe I was over-striding. Whatever the cause, getting out of bed in the mornings had once more become an ordeal.

Before subjecting myself to more of Dr. Warren's tender ART, I decided to try doing some gentle yoga each morning to see if I could get my body moving normally. So far, it seems to be helping and I must say it's a lovely way to start the day - once I get through the first few rounds of creaky sun salutations, that is.

One of the things running has taught me is that I shouldn't let pain discourage me too quickly. In the past 13 and a half years, I've had a wide assortment of running injuries - from shin splints, IT band tightness, and plantar fasciitis to frozen shoulder, back pain and anemia. And, each time I've been injured, one or more of my family and friends has suggested it's time to give up running. Fortunately, I haven't been inclined to do that, and have always managed to recover through some combination of body work (massage, chiro and/or physio), stretching, strength-training, rest, diet and (occasional) anti-inflammatories. The key I've found is to remain patient, attentive, committed to finding solutions for however long it takes to get back on the road.

On Sunday, as I ran one of my favourite routes through Shubie Park, it occurred to me that the same holds true in respect to healing emotional pain. On days when the state of the world seems too bleak to bear, when old griefs come circling back to knock the breath out of me, or when anger and fear undermine my peace of mind, I need to remind myself that emotional pain is just as temporary as physical pain - that, with enough patience, attentiveness and commitment, it too can be healed.

It's an important lesson. Too many people are discouraged from living happy, caring and productive lives by the belief that their physical and/or emotional pain is insurmountable when, in truth, it isn't. Need proof? Check out this video about Arthur Boorman.



Or this open letter from Antoine Leiris to the terrorists who killed his wife in Paris last weekend.

Pain is temporary. I'm hanging on to that thought. For as long as it takes my body and heart to heal this time around.

Happy running and writing friends.

352

My friend and fellow blogger, Keith, just published his 2000th post, which prompted me to check my own stats.  It turns out I've only published 351 posts since I started blogging in October 2008, which is less than one per week - not nearly as impressive as Keith's average of a post every day and half. Honestly, I don't know how he manages to find so much interesting stuff to talk about!

Aside from the stats, Keith's post got me thinking again about why I blog and what topics I'd like to focus on in future. I've mostly blogged about running to this point but I don't really feel I have much left to say on that subject. And, anyway, there are plenty of bloggers offering more useful running information and advice than I do. Given that, perhaps it's time to switch gears - at least, until I register for another challenging event and get more serious about training again.

On the other hand, blogging about running motivates me to train more regularly. I like being able to report that I've successful followed my training plan for the week, which is often enough to get me out the door even when running's the last thing I feel like doing.

Fortunately, I'm having far fewer issues with motivation these days. Running pain-free in the crisp autumn air feels wonderful so it's pretty easy to get my butt in gear. It was especially easy this weekend. The weather was perfect Saturday morning - so warm and sunny that I stripped off my long sleeved shirt midway to run in my singlet. (And, no, I wasn't having hot flashes. It was 16C when I made it back to the house.)

Today was considerably cooler but still really comfortable for running. After a leisurely cup of coffee, Husband and I loaded the puppy we're fostering into the car and headed to Peace Park for an easy jog. The puppy (appropriately named Indy) had a fantastic time trotting along beside us - when she wasn't running mad circles around us, that is. It was great fun for everyone. Of course, since she's only 7 or 8 months old, we kept a close watch on her and slowed to a walk often enough to ensure she wasn't overdoing it though she showed no signs of struggling to keep up. To the contrary, I'm pretty sure she was frustrated because we were moving too slowly.

It's been fun having Indy around this past week - though tiring too. Husband's looked after her during the day while I've taken her for long walks in the mornings and evenings - which means I've been getting far more fresh air and exercise than I usually do and feeling wearier as a result. On the upside, waking earlier's been nice and it's been great fun introducing her to the neighbourhood.

Indy's a rescue so was a little nervous about playing with the local dogs at the start but, by Friday morning, she'd gotten over that totally. She threw herself wholeheartedly into the fun and had a whole pack chasing her around the ballfield at one point. Though much younger and smaller then the other dogs, she has no difficulty keeping ahead of them. We don't know have any info about her background but it's clear there's a small, fast breed somewhere in her ancestry.

Yesterday and today, we took her to Risser's Beach for walks, which she enjoyed too. Since there was no one else around and we were a long way from the road, we let her run off leash a few times to see what she'd do. It turns out she's a clever little thing who happily bounded back to us whenever we called her. What a cutie! I'm sure she'll make her forever family very happy.

This afternoon, I took her to visit a lovely family in Petite Riviere who are interested in adopting her. I hope it works out. She's incredibly affectionate so I'm sure she'd thrive as part of a bigger family and it would be great if she could go for beach walks regularly.

So there it is. Post #352. No great literary achievement but at least I'm blogging again. Here's hoping I can find something more interesting to say in the weeks and months ahead.

Happy running and writing, friends!

Long time, no see

You know that feeling when you haven't been in touch with someone for a long time, and you really want to write to them, but you don't quite know what you'd say if you did? That's how I feel about blogging, at the moment. Where should I start? How do I explain my long absence? Is it worth reconnecting?

Things are fine. Life's just been incredibly busy the past few months - with very little time for reflection or writing. Brief trips to Charlottetown (for work) and Ottawa (for fun) ate up some of the time. After our stay-cation in August, work got hectic and I spent a good deal of time visiting the chiro in an effort to heal my hip before we left for Scotland. Thankfully, the treatments worked so I was able to enjoy all the hiking and walking we did there.

I took a lot of photos in Scotland - something like 1300 - which is completely ridiculous. I've just started going through them and plan to delete at least half, then select a much smaller number to feature in three or four posts about the trip. Look for the first of those sometime next week.

Running? Well, running's been difficult for awhile now. As I mentioned in my second to last post, I was having a good deal of discomfort for a long time before I did anything about it. After several painful but effective ART and acupuncture sessions with Dr. Warren, things began to improve but it wasn't until we got home from from vacation in mid-October that I began training in earnest again. And, wow, it felt hard - which surprised me a little. After all, I've been running regularly for years and - as recently as late July - was still doing long runs of 16-20k most weeks. Surely, I hadn't lost all my fitness that quickly!

When I thought about it, I realized the real issue might be my weight. I've put on another three or four pounds in the past few months. At 5'5" and 122 pounds, I'm not chubby by any means but my muscles aren't used to carryng the extra freight so, coupled with a loss of fitness, running is a good deal harder than it used to be.

Fortunately, now that I've been running regularly for a few weeks, it's starting to feel more normal. I tackled a 10k run along the river today - my longest run in since July. I can't say it was easy, and I'm pooped this evening, but I'm definitely feeling better. Thank goodness. Autumn's my favourite time of year and it would suck if I couldn't get out and enjoy it.

So, now what? With winter looming, I'm determined to pick a spring running goal and organize myself to train properly for it. Husband's on board with the idea and has offered to support me any way he can, which is wonderfully generous given all the projects he has on the go.

I haven't settled on a race yet but I think I'd like to make it a full marathon since I haven't done one in a couple of years. Sis-in-law is keen to do Cabot Trail Relay at the end of May but the marathon I have in mind is the same weekend so I don't think that's in the cards. In any case, it's probably best to focus on a single event. I love CTR but it takes a huge amount of time and energy.

The other thing I have on my mind is writing. I'd really like to take part in NaNoWriMo again this year but realistically I don't have the time or energy. Work's been frantic lately and I just started a time-consuming Christmas knitting project so writing every day in November simply isn't practical - which is too bad. Scotland generated heaps of story ideas. I hope I find the opportunity to use them at some point.

So, there, you're all caught up now. Sorry I haven't more exciting things to say after my long absence. Here's hoping my tales from Scotland are more entertaining.

To close, a photo of our feline housemate, Nemmie, in honour of Halloween and National Cat Day. She's been much more affectionate since we got home, which is a very nice change.

Happy running and writing, friends!

A short writing holiday

For whatever reason, I woke up yesterday inspired to revise one of the stories I drafted for NaNoWriMo last November and, with minimal dilly-dallying, that's what I did. It took most of the day but, by bedtime, the second draft was done and sent to my good friend Janet, who agreed to read it (bless her!). The story still feels a long way from finished but at least I made progress.

The basic story line is this: A lonely man, faced with the prospect of a miserable retirement, tries to commit suicide by running the toughest race in Eastern North America.

I know. It's a ridiculous premise but it still works somehow - or, at least, I think it does. The story is one of four I drafted before giving up on NaNo last year. My original plan was to write five or six stories about runners participating in C2C, then weave them together to create a novel.

The first story was very dark. It's about two female university students, long time runners and friends, who become involved with a Jian Ghomeshi-like professor. I don't think I'm going to finish it. I didn't enjoy writing the professor's character and I'm not sure it fits with the other stories anyway.

The second is about an older runner, a lifelong resident of St. John's, coming to grips with the fact that he's in the early stages of Alzheimer's. When I described the plot to Husband last fall, it made his eyes tear up so I think I may be on to something with that one - though it will be hard to avoid ending up with something maudlin.

The last story is about a young Muslim woman, a recent immigrant to Canada, struggling to reconcile her desire to compete in the race with her parents' expectations. I like the premise but will need help from my Muslim friends to ensure it's credible. The last thing I want to do is offend anyone.

It felt good to spend the day immersed in writing - as if I was exercising a part of my brain in need of a good workout. I wish I could find more time for writing fiction but it would likely mean getting up early, and I only do that willingly when I'm on vacation. :-) Perhaps, I'll get more serious about it when I retire.

Speaking of vacation, one of the things I've struggled with this week is feeling like I need to be productive every day - "productive" in the sense that I should be checking things off lists - books read, paintings completed, photos taken, blog posts written, social commitments met, etc. I enjoy all those things. I just wish they didn't feel so much like obligations sometimes.

It looks like the rain has stopped and I hear Husband upstairs, so it's time to sign off and get my butt out the door. I've lots to do before heading back to work tomorrow.

Happy running and writing, friends!

What I did on my summer vacation

This is what I've been up to the past few days. Not much of anything - just hanging out at the beach, walking, swimming, napping and reading. I've done a fair bit of thinking too - about aging gracefully (hard to do), the state of Canadian politics (abysmal), a short story I've been working on (still needs work) and the future of the planet (very worrying). I've also been thinking a lot about running - trying to work out what the heck's the matter with my right leg/hip and how to fix it.

I've only done three runs in the past week and none of them felt great. On the upside, this morning's was the best by far - I think because I'm finally managing to work my hip loose. I had to stop a few times to stretch but my right leg felt more normal than it has in awhile and, when I was stretching afterwards, my lower back/hip made a very satisfying clunk that I hope meant whatever was out of whack is in whack again. My right hip's certainly feeling better now.

While I was poking at my legs this morning trying to figure out what was tight and wasn't, I discovered a nasty knot about 6 inches above my kneecap that likely isn't helping, so took time to foam roller my quads. The knot's not completely gone yet but I'll work on it some more over the next couple of days and see if I can get rid of it. 

The issue with my hip and leg has been building for some time now. I noticed last fall that they sometimes got very tight when I walked, and all the ice and snow last winter made things worse. I hoped they'd start feeling better once spring arrived but the problem seemed to get worse - maybe because I increased my mileage a bit too quickly preparing for CTR, then Barrington. In any case, I only noticed it interfering with my runs a few weeks ago, which is when I started to get more serious about dealing with it.

On the advice of my chiro, I've been doing hip-opening exercises more consistently and trying to send less time sitting when I'm at the office. However, it wasn't until the past few days that I noticed real improvement. I hope I may be on the mend at last, but I've booked an appointment with an active release therapist just in case. It's a little over a month before we leave for Scotland and I'm determined to get it sorted out so I can hike/walk as much as I like while we're there.

Of course, this hip thing is a perfect example of how willfully blind we humans can be, I've known for almost a year that my hip was acting up but ignored the problem hoping it would go away by itself. I should have known that wouldn't happen. At 53, my body takes much more maintenance than it used to and minor issues quickly escalate into major ones.

Speaking of willful blindness, I find myself fascinated by the fallout from the Ashley Madison hack. From what I've read, it seems the company did a relatively poor job of protecting customer information - which is ironic given the business it's in - so perhaps I should feel some sympathy for its customers. On the other hand, in this day and age, I would have expected those customers to understand that most information shared on-line is at risk of disclosure. Given that, communicating with someone they don't know - who may or may not be telling them the truth about who they are - for purposes of arranging a "discrete" affair seems ill-advised, at best. It strikes me at least some of them must have been willfully blind to the risks they were taking. Or perhaps they just didn't care about getting caught. In any case, I'm finding it hard to have much sympathy.

Today was overcast so we opted to stay home and tackle a few chores. Or at least Husband did.I mostly lazed around while he kept busy investigating the issues we've been having with our well, repairing the brakes on our car, cutting a stair riser for my folks. and making supper. Did I mention he also installed a new power window motor on the car and dealt with a plumbing issue this week? Being married to such a handy (not to mention handsome) guy certainly has its benefits!

Note that I added two more titles to my reading list on the right. I picked up a third book tonight but only read a chapter before I put it aside. It looked like it might be a good one - a murder mystery set in 2060 - but the opening pages described the murderer thinking about how much enjoyed torturing a young woman for four days before killing her. I don't need that kind of darkness in my head. There's quite enough there already.

Only two more vacation days before I have to go back to work. Depending on the weather and how we feel in the morning, we may head to the Annapolis Valley to visit an elderly friend and check on a couple of wineries tomorrow. Or not. We'll see how we feel. On Sunday, I'd like to tackle a longish run if my body's up to it. Fingers crossed.

Happy running and writing, friends!