Two in a row

Despite everything my mind told me this morning, I made it out for a second run in a row. There was nothing particular stopping me: I’d had a good night’s sleep and the weather outside was just fine.

If a little cold and grey.

But my mind came up with all sorts of reasons why today’s run could easily be done tomorrow. Acknowledging all the excuses, I had my coffee, faffed around on social media while I drank, put on my running gear and headed out into the cold.

And I’m so glad I did.

There’s a big difference between the content of our minds and the reality of the outside world. I mean, exploring this is basically my day job! I know this, but putting it into practice is a whole other thing.

If I’d taken the excuses my mind was offering me, I’d have stayed on the couch, cosy and warm, but basically vegetating. Instead, I quickly found myself forgetting all about the cold, enjoying the movement and getting absorbed by the podcast playing in my ears.

Back home, freshly showered and watered, I’m so glad I went for the run. I know that if I hadn’t, I’d be regretting it this evening and probably beating myself up for being so lazy. Action beats debate with our minds every time.

Don’t worry – this isn’t the start of some ‘I’m running every day of the year’ habit. But I have committed to getting moving every day from now on. Whether it’s a run or a long walk, it counts. Today, as I have the time, I might even do both! It helps on so many levels that it’s foolish to neglect it. And that was basically the theme for all of December 2020. Oh and the beer.

Damn you, tasting and interesting craft beer scene!

But I don’t think a break from daily craft beer tasting is going to kill me. Quite the opposite, obviously. So it’s a ‘dry January’ for this beer-quaffing hobbit. I think it’ll make everything else I’m trying to do on the wellbeing front so much easier.

I really notice the impact a lazy December has had on my running. Not so much my pace, but my breathing and my recovery time. So I’m going to slowly increase distance over the next few weeks, rather than jump back into those 10k runs.

It’s more important that I run regularly than break any speed or distance records and then injure myself! One step at a time…