Get Off Your Mountain

Today was our third day of nearly constant snow. If you know me at all, you know that I love the snow! I love to run in it, ski on it, snowshoe through it and walk in it. But with winds and a foot or two of new snow, staying up on the trails near my house did not seem like the best option today. This realization brought on a bit of cabin fever/seasonal depression and then I decided to make myself get in the car and drive off my mountain.

Just a few miles down the mountain, 4 to be exact, is a paved trail system that the city maintains in the Winter months. I opted for a run/walk interval today of 2 min of running and 30 seconds of walking. I love the run/walk method! {see Jeff Galloway} It is my choice especially when I want to run a distance that I haven’t done in awhile or I’m just not “feeling it” for some reason. Breaking up your running with walks gives you the opportunity to actually run faster while you are running and also gives you energy to be able to go the distance. It has also been proven to prevent injury as it allows your body to shift muscles etc while on your run.

Due to the snow lined streets, I knew I was limited by where I could park to get on the paved route. I often park in a neighborhood but that wouldn’t be snow plow friendly so I opted to start at the park and do a loop that I figured would be over my usual 4-5 miles on a weekday. It ended up being 7 miles and the run/walk made it an enjoyable run.

When I looked at the selfie I had taken on the run I could see my neighborhood obscured by a blanket of fogclouds and I realized that for today I had made the best choice for me. Sometimes you just have to get off your mountain. Step away from what is bringing you down or overwhelming you or even boring you or pecking away at you like a stupid duck. {I don’t like birds, I mean I really do not. It’s a fear and a loathing}

I joke with my brain that it is always making running analogies and that not all gospel truth is rooted in running but really…I think that might be a thing. Hear me out on the significant lessons brought about by a simple 1 hour and 21 minutes of pounding on wet pavement encircled by snow flurries.

I want to be clear that my quick insert of seasonal depression was in no way intended to diminish the significance of said condition. I realize that my fleeting feelings of sadness and gloom are not comparable to clinical depression. But, I do believe that for many of us being able to step away from a difficult situation or just getting out of the cabin can often launch us into more hopeful places.

I believe it is important to recognize what you are going through and not to minimize it. For me I have made a big shift going from working full time and interacting with others nearly 24/7 to being at home with my computer, and Porter:) I do get to interact with clients, which I love but a good deal of my time is solo and that is a challenge for a pretty social person. Next throw in the weather conditions that make getting out of the house a literal challenge+low temps which make getting out of a cozy bed a feat, if I’m being honest and there you have my Winter challenged life. The first step to getting through a challenge is to recognize it.

I was going to type, “give yourself grace”. This is exactly the sentiment I am after but I feel the phrase has been so overused. Even the term “self compassion” feels like blah blah blah. But why are we hearing these sentiments over and over again? Because we are so dang hard on ourselves, always!! The run/walk method of running allows me to enjoy completing a run that if I were to run constantly would be hard, if not impossible for me to achieve. Find ways {or people} to make your situation doable and sustainable.

Here’s another cliche for you…”It’s not about you.” As in, when things come up that you have to deal with…get rid of the personalization…beating yourself up. According to Byron Katie, all of our pain in this life is our fighting against reality. If we can’t “love what is” as she suggests, how bout we at least stop with the blaming ourselves for what is and just deal and stay flexible. Instead of parking where you usually do, go to the plowed out park and change up your route.

While on that new route, take some time to look around for the beauty. It is always available to you and the acknowledgement will lift your soul instantly.

The last two points go back to my run. When I am running solo I am nearly always listening to a podcast. I love to be inspired, taught and entertained. But I have found that I need to be intentional at what I listen to and expose my brain to. And most important, I need to allow space to listen to MY VOICE. And to be clear, when I reference listening to “my voice” I am actually talking about the voice inside of me {when it is} in alignment to the divine within me. If I am constantly bringing other voices in, I am not able to hear that internal voice that is most true for me.

The discovering of that aligned voice is the magic of creating the life that can be even better than your dreams. I believe this to my core and this is my quest. It is, however, going to take me longer than 1 hour and 21 minutes to achieve.

Here’s to life adventures…hoping to see you out on the trail.

xoKathleen