Sometimes, No Run is a Good Run

Galen Rupp,  before first place finish at Olympic Trials

TS Debby has been churning up the waters off the Gulf coast for a while now,  throwing the edge of her wide weather up onto the SE Florida shores....once I got home from work on Friday,  I made the decision to take this window as a "Do Not Run" opportunity- one I rarely take- and find rest and healing.

I have an addiction to running.  I know this, because when I don't run, even by inner 'agreement', I miss it,  I think I am 'slacking',  I'll get fat, lazy and old,  I'll never be able to run again etc etc ad nauseum.   Another benefit of time off, even a short one,  is to hammer out the distortions, such as these which fly just under the surface;  and of course are linked to other, deeper self-criticisms which tend to interpret my doings or not-doings from a performance perspective.  I am worthy because....(fill in blank)....Until I come back to the simple and true;  I AM.

As an added bonus,  I watched as much of the Olympic Track Trials out of Eugene, Oregon, as I could catch.   Performance judged on 100th of seconds;  miles so fast,  I could only dream of what they feel like,  young athletes felled into tears when they realize "I am going to London!!" and the roar of appreciative crowds...ahh, the excitement of crowds at races!!  Altogether,  my idea of a little slice of heaven, even by proxy.

So after hours of self-massage and stretching and mini-tramp and yoga, cooking and eating good food including generous amounts of fresh fruit and veggies, (perfecting my sugar-free cookies as treat)...

and the inspiration of REAL athletes newly planted in my brain,  I headed out today into a blustery, drizzly, grey morning and tackled a 6-7 miler, curious about how it would feel.    Up and over Emerald Hills,  down 56th,  cutting over to my little side park for water and stretching and then down Park back home.....I only walked the last little bit, and felt GREAT!!!  I needed that time off.  I know I only exacerbate those 'hot spots' when I run through.  Moral of story??  LISTEN to my body and give it the rest, the self-care,  the attention it calls for!  

I heard them talk about many of those Olympic athletes as needing the month before London to repair and prepare....I may be nowhere near the level of ability which causes me to ramp so far down, since I'm not so far up to begin with.   But sometimes,  doing nothing is better than something.  For runners,  a time off can be important for the 'long run'.    Past pushing through sheer will-power,  listen to your "common sense" today.   Most of all,  rest when you can,  and absorb the intensity of learning which is taking place for us all as we continue our transition past the Solstice and into the rest of this amazing year!

Pre-Solstice Long Run 6-17-12

I took two days,  nothing but plenty of stretching, off the roads.   I miss it when I'm not out there,  but it felt like a worthy sacrifice to give myself some rest and prepare for a real long run.  The stormy, hot weather pulled back onto a bright and breezy morning, just as the sun rose, and inviting my plan forward.   Geared up,  music on,  I decided to loop around and head west,  past John Williams, taking the 441 overpass past the Seminoles to 66th.  I stretched the new Karhus and find them super light and fast;  they mysteriously help the gait set up, and give me more sustained comfort.  I shouldn't have pulled if off, considering my reduced mileage, but I did- up 66th, turning back on Stirling for the long meetup with Emerald Hills and home.

I was overcome by the sweet, bright, breezy feel of the air.   When the gods align with me and offer their pearls of perfection,  the moment everything settles into the motion and the elements of Mother Nature's gifts seem to flow in and around me, I fall into a quiet ecstasy.   Nothing ever speaks to my heart like the soul of nature- most of the point of running, for me, has always been the chance to explore the natural landscapes around me- a harkening back to early years and my long hikes in old suburbia, comforting myself in the embrace of wild, growing things.

Humans need non-human life to sustain them;  we eat living beings whether animal or plant based.  We depend on the very fabric of Mother Gaia to provide every material molecule of our lives.  The natural world is also essential to our spiritual well-being, and I am always struck by people who seem disconnected from the outside world....in Florida,  many people are outdoorsy-  but just as many stick with A/C- the outdoors are just a pause in islands of air conditioning.

I see things in clouds, in the skies...I realize more and more how The Mother converses in her vast palatte of visual splendors.   The adventure of the run means more of Her, soaking into my bones for the dry spell of many office days....until the next 'dose' of close connection. 

Sunday Long Run 6-10-12: Wonderful Nature

 Runners become creatures of habit, we have to if we are going to sustain any kind of consistent fitness and training levels.   We tend to be more mindful of what we eat,  how much sleep we get and when/where we do our runs.   Running allows the obsessive tendencies in me to express themselves on my behalf,  so I settle into my routines,  my routes, and it frees up my mind to focus on other, more esoteric things.

My Sunday long runs are my 'church'....I look forward to them as if I was climbing the mountain to see my guru,  to converse with my Soul,  to reconnect with the Big Earth through my feet, my eyes and all my senses and place myself back into context with the scheme of things.    Yesterday I was up and out early, but full-on summer is upon us,  so it's not unusual to have upper 70's/low 80 temps even in the AM,  even now.   It was HOT and clear as I took my new Karhus out on their maiden run,  and rounded out the neighborhood before heading west on Park.   The nearly empty streets give me leeway to settle into my gait on the open roads, and I was happy just to be in the open air and feel the sun on my shoulders.  

New shoes are always a crap-shoot:  since anything can be wrong,  they are heaven when they are right.  The Karhus had a spot rubbing up on my right big toe, so that by the time I hit John Williams park I realized it would not be a comfortable run....and did my best to adjust and accommodate.   Heading up 56th,  I spied a bench by Oak Lake park,  just a little smidgen of a park as Florida does it,  tucking away its formal nature spots in neighborhoods all over, and decided to add this pit stop as well.   The photo is taken from the bench, watching the ducks meander over to investigate.   I was struck by the beautiful colors on the water and the framing of the scene beneath the canopy of trees...absorbed this before heading out once more to complete the loop.

I used to live in the middle of nowhere/Nature and realize how important these opportunities are to dive back into Her embrace these days.   Working inside offices,  I feel as if Nature calls me through the very walls sometimes.   She throws her storms and sunny days at the windows as if to say "Remember where you really belong."    Through Her pain,  mine is recognized and released.  Through her beauty,  my essence is expressed and magnified, as it was at that bench,  reflected in the waters light, rippling out and into the matrix we all inhabit within Her. 

Take a pit stop out into your favorite spot and allow natural beauty to resonate with yours,  your body,  your senses,  your heart and soul.  Free yourself from any definition of who you are, just for a moment, and see the expression of True Self - for your self!

Venus Transit 2012

I woke feeling heavy in my dreams,  trying to make that transition back into 3D life watching the overcast skies and wondering if I was in for rain on my run.   I geared up, careful to pack my Iphone into a plastic liner, and with music set on a new 8-track playlist, stumbled out into the morning.

There are runs when I cannot wait to get started, and others, like today, when it feels as if I can barely get moving.  Age is bringing many ups and downs in my running experience, forcing me to look for ways to keep some consistency and awareness of when I need a break, or more yoga, or just more walking, as I did today.  There were a few good stretches and the grey, drizzly skies added to the surreal feeling of being out nearly alone except for the traffic....trying to figure out the puzzle that is my body, as it tried to find its rhythm.

Today, Venus will begin Her transit across the face of the Sun.   In esoteric terms,  She is the harbinger of Goddess energies re-emerging from the long sleep of repression.  It's been said we will feel a millennium of pent up emotional energy, the suffering of our ancestors, our brothers and sisters, working their way from a long ago to now.  We stand at the cusp of secrets laid bare,  power crumbling into dysfunction,  true value emerging...in the pure heart of Love,  something pulls us away from our self-destruction into a resurrection of our original intent and destiny,  calls us forward, demands our attention, now.

If you feel the Call,  you will know in your heart by what you choose to focus your life upon.  Are you appreciating the women in your life?  Can you feel and honor the feminine within which strives to nurture and grow your Highest Self?  Are you running into your Good Future - or away from your demons?  Maybe they are just the lonely children inside waiting for your understanding and acceptance....accept them now.  Embrace Your Self, now.   Don't wait for another celestial push, for the gods may decide you are not ready, not now,  unless you Call yourself forward, into this Big Light.

Right Brain Work Out 6-3-12: Mandalas

As I started out on my Sunday long run,  and getting my head ready for the Right Brain Workout later in the day,  I had miles and time to remember how it all began.  Long, long ago, after Mello Rye, our spiritual teacher, came for her last visit to the Shenandoah Valley, my life began its rocket-ship ride out and away from a place I felt rooted into, at the Barn.  20 years later I can appreciate The Forces which dislodged me out into the big world, and the seemingly endless quest to gain the credentials, stability and opportunity to unfold my path.   The central, signature endeavor has always come back to the mandala,  the best means yet to bring my art therapy skills to bear in a spiritual context; an accessible means to help others who think of themselves as non-artists to find their creativity and express what is asking to come to light in their lives. 

I had some pretty good stretches,  working out what had loosened up in my right ankle,  feeling better balanced,  a more comfortable gait,  and freeing my focus from monitoring aches and pains to meandering my mental highways....and wondering what it would be like- again- to share my vision with others!

My piece, titled "Space/Place of Inspiration"  was a direct outcome of the power of Serenity Room,  Salah and Monica's tremendous dedication and love and the outpouring and openness of the participants.   When you "give permission" to people to tap into themselves and allow them to work out the blocks and sabotage of disowned parts,  the True Light of the Soul always comes through!  As always when deep in my own Right Brain,  I felt uplifted into the Vision even as I am submerged into the Process....and had the old familiar feeling of doing what I am meant to do and being right "at home".  

When I create,  it is like going for a run.  I circumscribe the route, the working space and then I begin.   Many miles and materials later......the experience "concludes" providing another portal into my deepest Self, my Soul Self smiling all along eager for the next chance to come out and play!  As Venus makes Her remarkable transit across the Sun this week, remember the power of the feminine is AWAKE!  She will help you go where you need to go,  and speak your truth.  Express your Self today! and next time,  see you at another Right Brain Workout!