One of the best rewards I received from my running training was gaining a true knowledge of myself. I now have a true handle on this body I have, what makes it tick and what “right” feels like. Often times, we spend enormous amounts of energy wondering, “Is this normal?”, “Does this feel like it’s supposed to?”, “Am I injured or just sore from workouts?”. Following my two serious injuries, I’ve gained a new perspective into what “normal” feels like. I know when to hold them and when to push through.
Following the half marathon, I decided not to take off the coach recommended two weeks. Instead, I took off two days. Yeah, yeah, I know not too smart a decision. Following those runs that week I felt pain in my left hip adductor (inside area of leg near groin) and hamstring. I ran the rest of that week and it didn’t improve so I took two weeks off. Then I started back up and still had the pain. The good news is I knew it was muscular because I know this body so well. I knew the pain was different from the bone pain I felt when I had the stress fracture in my other leg. I also knew how to work through it. I needed to slow down and go easy. This morning on my long run I thought about how different this felt from the last two times of uncertainty over injury. Stressing and googling and not truly knowing if what I was doing was the right thing to do. I also thought a lot about the things in life that seem to block my path of reclaiming my health.
First blocker is my ego. You all know that darn part of you, right? Yup, the ego is the voice that tells you, “Suck it up bitch.”, or “Push through the pain, you are tough.” Whenever I listen to that voice I end up in trouble. The ego has gotten the better of me more times than I’d like to admit. Like who thinks at 55 years old it’s ok to not take off the two weeks your coach recommended after running a tough course half marathon. The ego gets in your way in life often too. Like when you can’t admit you’re wrong, or think it’s your way or the highway. Or, how about when you eat unhealthy but blame your nutritionist, or latest diet because you refuse to admit you didn’t truly follow the plans.
Sometimes we need to kick our ego to the curb! This week I forced myself to do just that. I knew I needed a break from the hills and the hard road surface I run on. My body needed a break from the pounding to recover. So, I forced myself to run on the treadmill (aka – dreadmill). I found the running on their so much easier on my adductor and joints. I also needed to not push off and run slow, something my ego doesn’t truly like. But I did it and learned to enjoy the absence of pain. Today I did my long run outside and felt like my leg is finally on the road to healing. Secondly, I finally admitted to myself that I need to give up drinking red wine. It just truly doesn’t agree with my body, though I LOVE it. I haven’t been drinking wine during training and when I purchased a bottle last weekend, I immediately noticed I had pain in my joints and my body. So, I finally said it out loud and admitted what I already had been told – I need to stop drinking red wine, it doesn’t agree with my body.
The second blocker I’ve encountered often are those false advertisements and promises of restoration of health through – pills, diets, books, shakes, coaches, tests, etc. I usually fall prey to those ads and Facebook seems to know it because they pop up constantly on my feed. Three day detox, supplements to solve life’s problems, you name it – it’s out there. The latest I almost fell victim to – a DNA test to help a nutritionist tell me what kind of food I should be eating and what supplements I should be taking. All for the low price of 800. The fact that I even considered it blows my mind. But, I’m very proud that I wrote back to my dear friend and said – “Thanks so much for thinking of me. Truly sounds interesting, but I can’t justify spending that kind of money to chase the holy grail of health.” Been there, done that.
Next up, a colleague came by my office recently. She has never been particularly friendly before but suddenly was very willing to chat. I soon realized, in a round about way she was trying to sell me something to make me healthier. She found the answer to all my problems. Ugh, here we go again. This was a strong sales pitch for Isogenix! These shakes and detox, according to her would cure me. Hmm, been there, done that. No shake or detox holds the answer to all of life’s problems.
I know what I have to do. I have to eat healthy, organically and move my body. I’ve read tons of information on this subject and it all boils down to your body is your temple. What you put into it greatly affects what happens. The rest is genetics, pure and simple. While I do agree you can’t possibly get by without any supplementation, I am determined to get as close to it as I possibly can. I want to heal my body with food, pure delicious, clean food. I know what I should eat, as well as what I shouldn’t. I don’t need a DNA test to tell me what is good for my body. I can feel that now. I can feel how my body feels after I eat certain foods and drink certain drinks. I can feel it when I exercise and when I merely go through my day. I am in control of my destiny and these people who want to make living out of my quest can just move along.
I hope we all can get to a place where this multimillion dollar diet industry can move along to somewhere else. There are so many desperate people in the world that they prey upon. Read, learn and trust yourself. You know what you have to do so, “Just do it.”
Reclaiming My Health 