Run for fun #8: MrsB is getting inked!
Tuesday, 27 November 2012 
8 Comments
Haven’t written a Run for Fun post since 1st of October when it was all about mixing up the training in preparation for the two half marathons I ran that month. Since then I’ve pretty much stayed with the same training schedule – CrossFit twice a week, 10k run on Wednesdays or Thursdays, and a long run (22-25km) on a Saturdays or Sundays. I haven’t done any hill repeats since my last half marathon though – CrossFit gives my muscles a good enough workout that I don’t feel the need to go mad on the hills at the moment!
My long runs have been to Richmond Park lately. I finally figured out how to run there without getting lost :) The quickest way is through Wimbledon Common but at this time of the year the common is very muddy so I’ve been taking the road around it which makes the loop a bit over 22km long – perfect for a weekend run.
Richmond Park
I love long runs because they make you think about running, they make you preservere, they make you patient and they make you cherish how far you have come in the whole running journey.
The more I do it and the more distance I cover, the more I am seeing how running is just as good for my mind as it is for my body.
I remember when I first started running 3 years ago, there were a lot of niggles, both physical and mental ones that I had to just run through – there were days when I had a stitch or days when my blood sugar totally plummeted making me dizzy and brake out in cold sweat. It would have been so easy to just stop, but I learned that I just needed to slow down a bit but keep going – everything uncomfortable eventually passes.
Now that I no longer get a stitch, being used to running, and I no longer get dizzy sugar crash moments because I’ve stopped eating refined sugar, there are still other things I need to “run through” once in a while – there are hot and crampy feet when running longer distances in the summer and there are simply moments when my brain tells me “you’ve already run for an hour and a half, is it really necessary for a human body to run any longer?!?!?”
But I don’t give up. I don’t stop. Little niggles* like that must be just run through and conquered – and when they have passed I’m left with a big smile on my face and a huge sense of accomplishment.
So as my body gets stronger, my mind gets stronger – I know that there will be uncomfortable days in life (I don’t have a category on this blog called “healthy mind” for no reason) but I know that if I just keep going slow and steady, these days will pass and I will come out at the other end smiling.
All of this makes so much sense to me… I hope I’ve been able to convey it somewhat in writing.
And – the wheels are in motion for me to get a little memento that will remind me of all of this every day:
I have never before found a tattoo idea that was IT. Now I have. THIS is IT.
Mind over matter.
P.S. A huge thank-you to the gorgeous lady behind 76 Sunflowers who posted the photo of the above tattoo on her blog in the first place!
*Note that I’m talking about ‘little niggles’ – never attempt to run through actual serious pain!
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I’m opening up a linky again for all your running / fitness / mental healh / tattoo posts! Share the love, share the inspiration :)
Yay for healthy minds, strong bodies, and meaningful tattoos!! (If I had a stomach like that, I’d totally get it inked.)
That’s not my stomach but a tattoo will be the only reason I will post a photo of my stomach online in the near future!
‘The more I do it and the more distance I cover, the more I am seeing how running is just as good for my mind as it is for my body’.
YES.
Love the tattoo design, Mrs B!
Definitely. I love it, I love the idea and reasons behind it and I just love that you’re doing it. Will it be your writing? I think that’d be cool–personal. good luck with it, and looking forward to seeing it!!!
You are just too healthy! Is it your toned tummy that we see on his post? Well done you !
My tummy photo will come. I’ll keep doing situps between now and then!!! :|