Be where you are...because you're already there

“Having spent the better part of my life trying either to relive the past or experience the future before it arrives, I have come to believe that in between these two extremes is peace.”   Author Unknown

Hi.  My name is Jennifer.  I just ran 4 miles at a 10:30 pace and I am dizzy with excitement.  Tomorrow I will try 5 miles, and Saturday 6- with the hopes of not having to stop to walk.  Never mind that 12 weeks ago I was running 60-80 miles a week on rocky, hilly trails preparing for a 100 mile butt kicking in the mountains.  I’m just happy to be running.  Period. 

I admit that during my first run I mourned for the “place where I was BEFORE my injury.”  Will I ever get my endurance and speed back?  Will my foot completely heal?  Am I less of a runner than I was before this monstrous tendonitis took over my foot?  Thankfully, with a few runs under my belt this past week I’ve learned to accept where I am right now, and it’s good.   

It’s easy to cling to the athlete of our past.  So often I hear from people that I coach:

“I was fast in college.”
“I used to be 40 pounds lighter.”
“….but I was younger then.” 

How freeing would it be if we could let go of the past, to be a peace with ourselves in this moment? What if we were grateful for our bodies as they present themselves today?

Buddha said: “The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

Today I will enjoy the buzz of my run/walk high, grateful that I have once again been blessed with the gift of running.