I figured out why I don't blog so much anymore. It's because I don't run as much as I used to. Back in the day when this blog actually had stuff happening on it, I was averaging about an hour run five to six times per week. Don't get me wrong, I still run, but no where near as much as I used to.
Fortunately, I got in a good long run this past weekend out by Bragg Creek so I actually have a thought in my brain to blog about. I competed in the 16km Moose Mountain Trail Race and it was a hoot. Took me an hour and forty nine minutes and I placed 17th out of 55. *Pats self on the back*
While I was getting into my rhythm during the first few kilometres of the race I gave myself a good pep talk. It's hard to keep a slow and steady pace when you're right out of the gates and see all the crazy fit people float farther and farther ahead of you. But it's what you've got to do! Anyways, my racing mantra of sorts is to "narrow the gap." Let me explain.
For me, narrowing the gap means to slowly but surely decrease the distance between myself and the runner ahead of me. This works better for me than saying, "pass this person." It's not about doing things quickly, narrowing the gap never happens quickly. It's about slowly closing in the distance between the person ahead of me, which then in turn changes to "widening the gap." Which is, yes, you guessed it, increasing the distance between me and the person I caught up to.
Although I tend to think about a fair bit of things while running (ie. this is awesome! holy crap, this is muddy! I shouldn't have worn these shorts because they have chafed me a new one! etc), narrowing/widening the gap occupied my mind the most. Obviously I began contemplating the metaphorical applications of this saying. I feel like there is this version of myself that I yearn to be. Let me introduce her to you. Her name is Kristen. She wakes up at 6:00am on the reg because there are some things she wants to complete before the kids wake up each morning. She turns to her scriptures with the same anticipation that her phone currently holds over her each morning. Her phone is more of a phone than a whirlpool of distraction. She exercises regularly, as in doesn't take these two to three week hiatuses between a good committed effort. She's more organized, like totally killing it with the bullet journal thing, or at least figured out some sort of system that works for her in keeping her life with it. She's a better visiting teacher and way more in tuned with how to do her church calling. She's basically all I aspire to be. And as you can tell, the gap between her and I is quite enormous. But it's a gap, which means that I can narrow it.
My biggest struggle with making changes in my life is I always expect them to be completed immediately. You want to eat less sugar? Then start by eating NO SUGAR. TOMORROW!! I both envy and admire the people who can make 180 changes on a dime, but it's just not me. I take a much more slow and steady approach. The same way that I run races.
The race this weekend was a good reminder for me that I don't need to get there immediately. The best I can do is simply work each day to narrow the gap between current-Kristen and improved-Kristen. And widening the gap between past-Kristen and slightly-improved-Kristen.
This has been a running time musing brought to you by Kristen.
Fortunately, I got in a good long run this past weekend out by Bragg Creek so I actually have a thought in my brain to blog about. I competed in the 16km Moose Mountain Trail Race and it was a hoot. Took me an hour and forty nine minutes and I placed 17th out of 55. *Pats self on the back*
Not me or my race, but a similar idea. +
While I was getting into my rhythm during the first few kilometres of the race I gave myself a good pep talk. It's hard to keep a slow and steady pace when you're right out of the gates and see all the crazy fit people float farther and farther ahead of you. But it's what you've got to do! Anyways, my racing mantra of sorts is to "narrow the gap." Let me explain.
For me, narrowing the gap means to slowly but surely decrease the distance between myself and the runner ahead of me. This works better for me than saying, "pass this person." It's not about doing things quickly, narrowing the gap never happens quickly. It's about slowly closing in the distance between the person ahead of me, which then in turn changes to "widening the gap." Which is, yes, you guessed it, increasing the distance between me and the person I caught up to.
Although I tend to think about a fair bit of things while running (ie. this is awesome! holy crap, this is muddy! I shouldn't have worn these shorts because they have chafed me a new one! etc), narrowing/widening the gap occupied my mind the most. Obviously I began contemplating the metaphorical applications of this saying. I feel like there is this version of myself that I yearn to be. Let me introduce her to you. Her name is Kristen. She wakes up at 6:00am on the reg because there are some things she wants to complete before the kids wake up each morning. She turns to her scriptures with the same anticipation that her phone currently holds over her each morning. Her phone is more of a phone than a whirlpool of distraction. She exercises regularly, as in doesn't take these two to three week hiatuses between a good committed effort. She's more organized, like totally killing it with the bullet journal thing, or at least figured out some sort of system that works for her in keeping her life with it. She's a better visiting teacher and way more in tuned with how to do her church calling. She's basically all I aspire to be. And as you can tell, the gap between her and I is quite enormous. But it's a gap, which means that I can narrow it.
My biggest struggle with making changes in my life is I always expect them to be completed immediately. You want to eat less sugar? Then start by eating NO SUGAR. TOMORROW!! I both envy and admire the people who can make 180 changes on a dime, but it's just not me. I take a much more slow and steady approach. The same way that I run races.
The race this weekend was a good reminder for me that I don't need to get there immediately. The best I can do is simply work each day to narrow the gap between current-Kristen and improved-Kristen. And widening the gap between past-Kristen and slightly-improved-Kristen.
This has been a running time musing brought to you by Kristen.