The June Gloom has settled nicely here in SoCal. It’s this kind of weather I enjoy, and at the same time, I don’t. The morning is foggy and filled with cloudy, overcast skies, but later it tends to burn off, leaving an aura of glary haziness. The temperature itself starts out cool, but that humidity hovers, until the sun is able to burst through and the heat comes out, and when the sun goes down, hello to cool temps again.
During these days, layers are important to wear. It’s also important to know, people tend to get sick with these fluctuating temperatures. No, I don’t believe you can catch a cold by going outside in cool temperatures, but I do believe the rise and fall of the temps can affect our own body temperature creating an internal environment that make viruses quite happy to thrive in. I know a few people who have endured, and currently enduring the cough and cold sniffles, so I guess you can say, I’m being extra paranoid these days.
Because there is always a possibility of me catching a summer cold – even though all my fingers and toes are constantly crossed and yes this makes typing interesting – I decided to take advantage of any running time I can.
This run would be the first time being on the dirt since April 22nd – a solid 6 weeks. My legs felt rusty, but I allowed them to feel rusty. I allowed myself to hike whenever I wanted even if it was up a gentle slope. I allowed myself to run even if it was only on the downhills or on seriously-flat-they-can’t-get-any-more-horizontal-even-if-they-wanted-to kind of trails.
I allowed my body to feel whatever it wanted to feel, but for the most part I allowed myself to relax. I wasn’t going to force myself to be who I was back on April 22nd, or 6 months ago, or even a year ago. Many times after a running break of lower mileage, I’ve quietly internally berated myself for not being a stronger runner, or as strong as I was during peak training, especially as I was last year.
Even during this run, I found myself thinking back on last year’s training and wondering why didn’t I keep it up all this time? And then the other little voice inside my head decided to chime in, just stop right there missy.
The fact is I don’t want to be the runner I was last year. I want to be a better runner!
I am allowing myself to start over and start from square 1. And I’m perfectly okay with this.
I kept thinking about this idea of starting over during my time on the trails this past weekend. Yesterday is done. Yesteryears are over. I can’t go back and change anything at this point because what’s done, is done. All I can do is, keep moving forward. Relentless Forward Progress.
It was the main takeaway of Jim Walmsley’s talk to me at Javelina. Keep making forward strides – step by step, little by little.
May was the lowest mileage I’ve had in a seriously long time! Was this due to not being on social media? Hmm… social media can be quite the influencer. I honestly can’t remember the last time I barely squeezed out 60 miles in a month. I remember those times I cranked out 60 miles in a week, or better yet, in one day.
But, ah! While those 60 mile weeks, or 60 mile days days, happened in the past, it’s not to say, I won’t have them again. All I have to do is remain healthy, and keep moving forward, step by step, little by little.
Thanks for reading!