As most of you know I have been dealing with a couple of injuries that have kept me from running for awhile (over 100 days now, but who's counting) and my running future is uncertain. Most people might think, and I had hoped, that with each non-running day that passed, it would get easier to let go. Not true. Running has been the way I have started the majority of my days for the last 25 years. It was auto-pilot. Get up, drink coffee, feed Mango (the cat, or previous cats as Mango is not 25 years old), and run. That has changed to get up, drink lots of coffee, feed Mango, brush Mango, tell Mango how much I don't want to get on my spin bike or my elliptical, procrastinate until I can't put it off any longer, and finally take the dreaded walk to the fitness room (sometimes I take Mango with me) and toss a coin to see which evil piece of cardio equipment I get to face for the day.
I know, for someone who doesn't like running, cardio is cardio. So what difference does it make how you are moving? Well, let's say you play golf and you are accustomed to playing the Sedona Golf Resort, or perhaps you have been fortunate enough to play St. Andrews, or Augusta National, or Pebble Beach. You love the smell of the freshly cut grass as you get ready to tee off, you take in the beauty of your surroundings, and then you let go with what feels like the perfect swing and it is confirmed with the sound of hitting a sweet shot. Now, imagine you are confined to an 8x10 room with a miniature golf putter and artificial turf. Okay, maybe a little over-exaggeration but it's just not the same! And while a spin bike and elliptical are fine choices as cross-training, it's like being a rat on a wheel in a cage when they are your only choices.
So one of my first thoughts when I couldn't run anymore was, "Then why bother to do anything?". Well, that didn't last long as emotion started to take a back seat to rational thinking. As a fitness trainer I can rattle of a dozen sound reasons to do cardio, but I am now faced with needing to find new reasons to keep up my fitness routine and some of them may be the same as yours. Heart disease, stroke, cancer, and high blood pressure all run in my family. I would rather spin like a rat and have a healthy heart so I can continue to hike and be active than suffer the debilitating effects of heart disease. I also prefer to lead an independent life as long as possible rather than relying on others to take care of me. And one of my primary goals as a trainer is to help others lead healthier, happier lives. And who wants an out-of-shape, fat trainer? One thing we can always be sure of is that life will continue to throw us curve balls and we just have to reassess and figure out how to adapt and move forward.
So, another life challenge thrown in my face and I will suck it up and do what I know I should do...
But I may rebel and borrow just a little bit of Katie's attitude and step outside of the box... or wheel!
So far one of my biggest challenges has been to find a way to combine intense cardio with being outdoors. Running was simple. Put on your running shoes and step out the door. No fancy equipment or elaborate planning of where to go. Biking requires extra equipment and planning and as some of you have mentioned, Sedona is not known for its bike-friendly roads. And I have discovered some very annoying things about biking. For Joe's sake I will leave out the chafing. You have to bike almost twice as long to get an equivalent workout or calorie burn as you do with running. It is also harder to maintain a steady effort on the bike. Downhill on a bike is much easier than running, but you can actually run up a very steep hill faster than you can pedal up it in granny gear. So my new mantra as I am puffing up steep hills is...
So over these past 100 days I have biked 1800 miles. That's not real impressive by cycling standards but for a runner who has been forced to sit her butt on a bike against her will, and considering I am usually only biking 3 or 4 days per week, I will count it as a significant personal accomplishment. It is certainly something I never would have aspired to if not "forced" into the situation, and I keep telling myself (and Mango) that somehow I must be benefiting from it.
So while the long term drive and determination to stay on a healthy fitness path have to come from within, there are many external things that are inspiring and help each of us to keep moving forward. Katie blogged about her marathon and expressed some of her feelings and thoughts about the race. For me, being at the race with Katie was simultaneously one of the most exciting and difficult things I have done. Exciting because Katie had made the decision to stay on track and proceed with the race when she lost her running partner early on in the training. She was forced to do most of her runs and her speed work on her own which is not her inclination. Yet she overcame those obstacles to proceed and excel with her training. Difficult to be there because of my desire to be running the race, combined with an uncertain running future. But I wouldn't have wanted to be any other place and her run was inspiring to me because even when she knew she would be short of her time goal she pushed on and finished the race. Running a marathon is never easy and it takes every ounce of strength in your body and mind to push through those last difficult miles when you know the end result will be short of your goal. But as they say, pain is temporary, finishing lasts forever.
As we have shared with you before, there are many things we see and hear at our trainings that inspire us to stay focused on our fitness and continue to take on new challenges. We also hear you giving encouragement to each other and you often share positive comments with us about other Warriors. We know that each of you are facing your own challenges with work, health, and family and that some days you can give 100% and other days may be 50%. But remember that 50% is better than nothing and one thing that we are sure of from our own experience is that you can always count on your Metabolic Family to help carry you forward. Never underestimate the strength you can draw from others, but more importantly know that each of you is an inspiration to us and your fellow Warriors!
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