Today was one of those days. The day brought about numerous challenges and unexpected bad news regarding a friend. I was supposed to do a 30 minute easy recovery swim and a 75 minute run today. In between meetings I squeezed in the 30 minute swim, but it wasn't a recovery swim; instead it was the hardest I've ever swam and it felt great. I stopped thinking about my form and technique and instead embraced some time alone while letting my mind wander to the day's events.
After my evening meetings wrapped up, I skipped happy hour and headed out for a run; crazy right? It was a great decision; I ended up running for 9 miles. My mind was able to wander and process some things. While I was running today, I couldn't help but think about purpose. I was drawn to a memory of one of my student trip leader's pep talks on a canoeing trip in the Adirondacks when the weather was not cooperating, people were physically exhausted, morale was low, and we were behind schedule. She told the group to "paddle with purpose." Well today, I ran with purpose and it was exactly what my mind and soul needed. It had nothing to do with physical fitness or triathlon training. It was therapy.
“Some seek the comfort of their therapist's office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running as my therapy.”
― Dean Karnazes
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