In Search of America

I have never been a very physically motivated person. I was interested in soccer purely for the competitive and social aspect of the sport, but I can’t say I’ve ever truly been someone who is a kinetic thinker…until now. Getting outside and moving myself towards an established physical goal has been incredibly challenging. About five weeks ago I was a total couch potato, albeit a vegan one. My health has changed drastically within the past 3-4 months. With the exception of cigarettes (I’m not ready to give this bad habit up for a multitude of psychological attachment reasons), I’m slowly improving my health quotient gradually. On December 9th, if I can manage to secure an afternoon presentation slot, I will be running my first half-marathon. Actually, I probably won’t run it at all (methodically jogging and power walking is what will probably happen). 

Anyway, about two weeks ago I started to get into a really weird negative mindset about running. Suddenly time was starting to matter more and I was beginning to feel anxious. Would I be able to finish? What would happen if I couldn’t finish my first race? Our minds are really weird and self-defeating thoughts can be so powerful. However, the r/running subreddit helped a lot with motivation and training advice. I realized I should start enjoying the experience of running as opposed to making it a chore because if I got discouraged by time then I would drift from wanting to run. I guess it’s about finding the balance between striving for a realistic goal and also having fun. 

Right now I can barely finish 2 miles at a full running pace, but I really enjoy being outside and just going. It became a lot like meditation. Not to sound all hippie-dippy and shit, but counting mala beads is a lot like running. It’s a repetitive activity that almost becomes second nature while your mind focuses on other things. So, when I count mala beads I think about positive mantras and I’ve started to do that while I “run” as well. I’ve also found your thoughts are so powerful during physical activity. It’s easier to maintain healthfulness (physically and mentally) as opposed to swinging from great extremes of positive and negative behavior. 

I don’t really have any other insights to post today. Hell, this is all I’ve got to post after 3-4 months of dietary and lifestyle changes. I guess I’ll be updating next year when I’m back in California.

Oh yeah, that’s another thing…this winter I’ll (mostly) be in Ireland. Cheers to cold, wet weather and a pint of Guinness!