Are You Breathing?

Are we ready for the weekend? I sure am.

So we are starting with Tuesday. I got up early and went for a run at the gym. I had a virtual 10k I wanted to get done. It’s thru a company called Will Run for Bling and you get a shirt, medal, and racing bib. This particular race benefited the ASPCA. I hauled thru it, getting thru another episode of Jessica Jones. I have to be close to the end which someone spoiled for me. Grrr. But still I need to see the story to the end. I only let myself watch it at the gym. It gives me one more reason to get there. In the morning, I find myself the most motivated too. I have no urge to go anywhere after work.

The run itself wasn’t bad. I wore my race shirt which is adorable. The WiFi at the gym worked pretty well. It only stalled out a few times. I kept pushing up my pace little by little. I’m sure my face matched my shirt. My hair was wet from sweat but I got it done before work. 6.22 miles in 1:13:20 with a pace of 11:47. It’s not my best pace but I’m happy with it. My Brooks shoes are really awesome. They have great cushion without losing stability or feeling like you are slogging thru sand.

Tuesday night I made the lentil and black bean stew from the Runner’s World cookbook. I made some changes though. I added more lentils, used leeks instead of a yellow onion, and added some smoked turkey sausage. It added more protein and a milder onion taste. It was delicious and filling. Judging from how fast it disappeared from the fridge, I think, the fiancé liked it as well.

Wednesday, at yoga, we focused on breathing. It’s one thing I haven’t put much emphasis on before but is an important part of yoga. It helps engage the body and core and also brings one more in touch with their physical self and mind. It helps a person relax into a pose and let go of tension being held in a particular muscle group or joint. This way we can fully express the asana and get the most out of it. I felt very chill leaving the studio.

The next day I had hoped to go to the gym in the morning, but life got in the way. Ice chunk versus rental car’s bumper led to me needing to go in the insurance center and make yet another claim. I do love my insurance company. They make me feel important and comfortable explaining everything and giving me time to read all the paper work. In the past, they have been very generous with a car that got totaled due to a deer.

From Tuesday to today, I’ve been suffering from extreme exhaustion. I’m not sure from what, it could be a flare of some sort. It could be my body recovering from doing an 8k on Saturday and a 10k on Tuesday. I have a few other indications it might be autoimmune related. While I have time to run or workout this evening, I think I’ll give my body more time to recover. We will be going to the gym tomorrow morning as a family.

I’ve been thinking about breathing. Breathing is life giving. No breath no life. I think, we are all familiar with that concept, but what else does breath do. It helps us relax into the situation we find ourselves in. It could be an asana, a hard run, or the second accident in a roughly a week. It helps us find connection to where we stand in life. It brings us back to our body and mind, to the now. And now is all we have.