Mental/Physical

2015, thus far, has been a cold and quiet one here in our house.  Watching the news and the madness all around the world has truly helped me to be more thankful for our quiet neighborhood, and peaceful lives.  Between the atrocities in France, Africa, and the continuous clashes with police forces across the country, it is difficult to escape the darkness of people, and a challenge to seek-out the good.  Fortunately, I see the humanity and kindness that follows all of these events, and I truly believe that this is all part of human evolution to a higher consciousness.  

January is the start of my marathon training.  I have officially signed-up for the Wisconsin Marathon in Kenosha, WI in May.  As fate would have it, snow found its way onto the ground the same week as my training began, thus forcing me indoors onto the treadmill.  While it feels good to be back on a regular schedule of running five days a week, the treadmill proves to be a mixed bag for me.  The wonderful thing about running outside is the constant change to my surrounding environment.  Being able to freely choose my path and its duration is great.  Breathing the fresh air and adjusting to the weather and obstacles is stimulating.  Besides the fitness and occasional endorphin rush, time alone to think and ponder and contemplate is the greatest benefit of running, to me.  Listening to a podcast, or my music, or just my breathing and footsteps while my mind wanders is freeing.  Sometimes I plan my classroom lessons, other times I think about my family.  Some days are spent imagining my future, and other runs are completely dedicated to reviewing my past.  

The treadmill, for whatever reason, is almost the antithesis of outside running, in terms of how I think and embrace exercising.  When I am on the treadmill for any distance more than a few miles, I find myself trying to distract and entertain my mind so I will not zero-in on the fact that I am running on a treadmill.  What is it about running inside that requires me to do everything short of a frontal lobotomy?  Besides being outside, there really aren't too many differences.  This was a powerful realization yesterday.  There really isn't anything standing in my way when it comes to allowing my mind to wander and contemplate the world around me.  Last night I ran five miles and just "zoned out" and had some meaningful thinking and contemplation while the temperature outside hovered near 20 degrees.  

I will try to apply this thinking to daily life.  So many times, I find myself needing to be in a certain place, a certain mood, or be under specific conditions in order to think about things or feel one way or the other.  I need to learn that my mind can function independently of my physical surroundings.  Conversely, it is important to recognize that the body is capable of operating without a specific mindset being present.

So what does this mean?  

We are all capable of operating at a higher level both physically and mentally.  I need to use this moving forward.  When I am tired, I can still process information and hold conversations, and read.  When my body is hurt, or sore, or uncomfortable, I can still think about the future and set goals, and analyze situations.  When my mindset is not perfect, I can still run, or walk, or play, or just move.  Just because I am grumpy, or confused, or unfocused does not mean my body cannot be utilized or improve itself.  

Finally, while neither my mind or body need to work in conjunction all the time, it is pretty darn great when they do.  It is terrific to WANT to run AND my legs are ready.  It is awesome to feel strong mentally AND physically.  It is powerful to enter a situation where the body is poised and the mind is sharp.  So we work towards preparing both mentally and physically, but I now understand that we are capable of performing under imperfect conditions.