I am sitting here sipping my coffee and reflecting back on my morning jog. Jogging is not strength of mine. I am thinking of where I began a few months back, and where I am today with jogging. I have difficulty finding comfort, mental comfort more than anything during the activity. Of course I have the occasional knee tightness, shoulder twinge or ankle discomfort which seems to dissipate. I find that if I make it a social activity and jog with friends, I am more dedicated to the activity and the efforts involved and it holds me accountable. It is difficult to stay in bed when you have a friend(s) on your doorstep waiting to jog with you at 6AM. Not only that, it seems once I am there with friends, I find I become more focused on helping them achieve their jogging goals then my efforts, and my jog ends being less difficult than I imagined. I also love the diversity on the trails, differing body types, speeds, and mechanical movements.
As I slog (slow jog), I notice I generally view the other joggers either in front of me or coming towards me. I actually listen to their breath as they run past (generally it is never me jogging past them, but on occasion I am thrilled to pass someone or a group who have a slower pace than I!). If I make eye contact I love to extend a slight head bow or say hello. Their breath is like an unspoken word, their inner voice, and I wonder what their mind and spirit are saying as they jog. There are those that glide and look like they are moving so swiftly without much effort. I want to rub elbows with them and get some of their magical powers. I can’t even call what they do a jog, it is like sprinting until I can no longer see them on the trail. They are inspiring and really motivate me.
For those joggers who look as though they are struggling more than I, I have such empathy. I want to get beside them and cheer them on. I have respect and appreciation for their goals and personal development. Every so often I get beside a person and ask, “Do you mind if I jog beside you for a moment or two for some company.” I have heard various return comments from, “No,” “Happy to have company,” “Please don’t wait on me” to simply no reply. The other day I jogged beside a lovely woman and visualized that for every step we took together, our legs were turning a water well which provided clean drinking water to an entire village of people with deep thirst.
I find myself creating stories in my head as I jog to help motivate me. The other morning a man was jogging backwards. I wanted to be his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to keep turning his head backwards to look over his shoulder and reduce his efficiency and effectiveness. I kept saying in my mind, “A little to your left, ok, looking good, here comes a jogger so stay straight, etc.” As I approached him, I visualized a pulley rope. For every stride he took backwards, the rope pulled me closer to him. Soon I found myself right beside him. Once I was in front, I had to use the pulley to pull him.
I find creating little words, like short phrases help me as well. One is, “Strong legs, strong legs and strong mind”. A new favorite is, “Let your breath guide you.”
Another thing I am curious about is thinking patterns as people jog. I would love to see and hear the individual thoughts in the trail air. Personally, I find that if I use small chunking and focus on sections of the trail rather than the entire loop, it helps me reach my milestones. I am learning to replace any negative thoughts and words with positive ones.
At times, I wonder about my awareness of others. What would it be like to be on the trail and not notice other people? That seems really lonely to me. I have given some thought to why I am so attuned. Things which come to my mind are, I am curious and seek motivation and learning. I look at how they hold themselves when jogging, to better understand what I might do differently. I am curious and notice differences like shoulders either being relaxed or tense and held near the ears. I notice when a jogger holds one up further than the other or rotates them forward vs. back. I notice arms too, like some are parallel to the ground, and swinging lightly with each stride and not crossing their mid-section, where as others are swinging harshly and all over the place. Some people hold one arm still and seems like the arm is motionless while one arm independently swings and propels the body. I am not looking and judging, but looking to learn and out of curiosity. My glances are more of a glance to try and capture the difference that makes a difference in jogging.
To all my fellow joggers out there, great work, keep it up and thank you for motivating me! To my friends who jog beside me and get me on the trail, thank you for your patience and persistence, for helping me to be dedicated to jogging and improving my health. I look forward to us reaching our goals.
As I slog (slow jog), I notice I generally view the other joggers either in front of me or coming towards me. I actually listen to their breath as they run past (generally it is never me jogging past them, but on occasion I am thrilled to pass someone or a group who have a slower pace than I!). If I make eye contact I love to extend a slight head bow or say hello. Their breath is like an unspoken word, their inner voice, and I wonder what their mind and spirit are saying as they jog. There are those that glide and look like they are moving so swiftly without much effort. I want to rub elbows with them and get some of their magical powers. I can’t even call what they do a jog, it is like sprinting until I can no longer see them on the trail. They are inspiring and really motivate me.
For those joggers who look as though they are struggling more than I, I have such empathy. I want to get beside them and cheer them on. I have respect and appreciation for their goals and personal development. Every so often I get beside a person and ask, “Do you mind if I jog beside you for a moment or two for some company.” I have heard various return comments from, “No,” “Happy to have company,” “Please don’t wait on me” to simply no reply. The other day I jogged beside a lovely woman and visualized that for every step we took together, our legs were turning a water well which provided clean drinking water to an entire village of people with deep thirst.
I find myself creating stories in my head as I jog to help motivate me. The other morning a man was jogging backwards. I wanted to be his eyes, so he wouldn’t have to keep turning his head backwards to look over his shoulder and reduce his efficiency and effectiveness. I kept saying in my mind, “A little to your left, ok, looking good, here comes a jogger so stay straight, etc.” As I approached him, I visualized a pulley rope. For every stride he took backwards, the rope pulled me closer to him. Soon I found myself right beside him. Once I was in front, I had to use the pulley to pull him.
I find creating little words, like short phrases help me as well. One is, “Strong legs, strong legs and strong mind”. A new favorite is, “Let your breath guide you.”
Another thing I am curious about is thinking patterns as people jog. I would love to see and hear the individual thoughts in the trail air. Personally, I find that if I use small chunking and focus on sections of the trail rather than the entire loop, it helps me reach my milestones. I am learning to replace any negative thoughts and words with positive ones.
At times, I wonder about my awareness of others. What would it be like to be on the trail and not notice other people? That seems really lonely to me. I have given some thought to why I am so attuned. Things which come to my mind are, I am curious and seek motivation and learning. I look at how they hold themselves when jogging, to better understand what I might do differently. I am curious and notice differences like shoulders either being relaxed or tense and held near the ears. I notice when a jogger holds one up further than the other or rotates them forward vs. back. I notice arms too, like some are parallel to the ground, and swinging lightly with each stride and not crossing their mid-section, where as others are swinging harshly and all over the place. Some people hold one arm still and seems like the arm is motionless while one arm independently swings and propels the body. I am not looking and judging, but looking to learn and out of curiosity. My glances are more of a glance to try and capture the difference that makes a difference in jogging.
To all my fellow joggers out there, great work, keep it up and thank you for motivating me! To my friends who jog beside me and get me on the trail, thank you for your patience and persistence, for helping me to be dedicated to jogging and improving my health. I look forward to us reaching our goals.
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I too am a slogger! I dislike the idea of any physical activity, until…I have a partner to help motivate me towards my path of physical success! I find that exercising alone is boring and I find a billion reasons to either not start at all or the few minutes I completed were good enough! But when you have that accountability partner, it’s different. My alarm goes off at 5:15 am and instead of hitting snooze, I tell myself; my buddy will be waiting for me – GOT TO GO! And to have someone there to cheer you on, when you just don’t think your legs can make it up that hill is PRICELESS!
When I am on the trail, I think of the Moms and Dads that push their kids. It reminds me of my own kids, still snug in their beds and I smile – for they are my true motivation! I want them to have a healthy Mom and I want to set the good example to be active! My son is five and he completed his first Kid’s K when he was 2 1/2! When my husband and I hit the trail on the weekend, we take our kids. I laugh when he tells me to run faster! :o) My daughter is only 10 months and loves stilling in her jogging stroller, just checking out the view.
I can’t end this without telling you my favorite motivational quote. Not only do I use this during my races, but it is so true in our everyday lives. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” – John Bingham.