Time for the rain!
Yesterday, after a long day at work, I just felt like walking. So I decided I’d walk the 2 miles to the gym near my apt to clear my head and get in a little extra cardio. I love walking home in New York, because even when I take the exact same path, I always notice something different each time. Usually it’s a fro yo joint I hadn’t previously seen, but occasionally, it’s something more profound, like a sushi restaurant or a Dunkin Donuts.
Anyway, sadly, when I walked outside, I was greeted by the gray, rainy skies in the picture to the right. I could have hopped on the subway or taken a cab, but after record hot temps the past few days, the rain was actually refreshing. So, I threw on my T-Swift Pandora station, broke out my umbrella and decided to “walk it out.”
Aww Taylor, you always have the answer to all my problems.
Lots of Thoughts
Clearing my head used to be a part of the enjoyment of running for me. But these days, I’m usually focused on listening to my body and my stiff/achy foot when I run. Even when my foot doesn’t hurt as bad, when I do run, I can’ just go on auto pilot because I’m a bit out of shape from not running every day! In short, I need another outlet – enter walking.
I don’t really get too deep on my little blog, because frankly writing is an escape for me. Talking about the lighter, more entertaining parts of my life on The Sometimes Healthy Living Blog brings a smile to my face and it’s more fun! Plus, knowing some of you are getting a few laughs from my quirky posts such a bonus. But, believe it or not, my thoughts do run deeper than what condiment to dip my pretzels into and what route to take to ensure I end my run at 16 Handles. Lately, my head has been overloaded with information, random thoughts and a few concerns. Here’s what I was pondering, oh so deeply, on my walk home:
Deep Thoughts, By Sometimes Healthy
- Do what you Love or Love What you Do? This thought has been in my head a whole lot since starting this blog. You see, after 5 years in Corporate America, I’ve learned to “love what I do.” BUT, when I write a post for my blog, I feel like I get to “do what I love.” So how can I find that balance? It’s definitely a learning process.
- Gotta Get My S*** Together: (This is from a Jason DeRulo song, for the record) – I discussed in the “About Me” section of this blog how I am in a constant state of trying to “get my s*** together.” Sometimes I feel like my life would be 10 times easier if it was a bit more organized. I am admittedly, although endearingly, quite the hot mess sometimes. Simple things like packing my lunch or laying out my workout clothes the night before to ensure I can just roll out of bed to go to the gym would help me immensely. Yet, I generally forgo these simple tasks in favor of plopping on the couch to watch Real Housewives. Stupid Couch Monster!
Packing a lunch is not that difficult, Sometimes Healthy, Always Lazy Girl
- The Marathon Days Are Over: Two months ago, I could run 12 miles in my sleep! Now, I can’t even do my typical 6 mile loop of Central Park without huffing and puffing. No excuses. As a result of my injury, I’ve had to cut back on the running until I can figure out what’s wrong. I’ve talked several times on this blog about what running does for my confidence, focus and self-esteem. When I was marathon training, I ran 6 days a week (I’ll post my schedule one of these days) and the consistency really helped me with my focus in all areas of life. Without it, I seem to be missing some focus…
Longing for the glory days...two months ago.
- From 10K to Fun Run: I’m supposed to be running in the NYRR Mini 10K tomorrow with Ali, Tina, Grace and Kelly, among others. And my colleague, Lindsay, will also be running (Sidenote: Lindsay is aiming to break 40 minutes this race so let’s all wish her good luck!!). Since I’m still able to run on my foot, I CAN run in the race, but I know it will have to be at a slow, steady pace. I REALLY want to run, because all of my favorites are running, and I want to share in the experience. But I’m not sure I trust myself to pull back like I should. This one’s a TBD. Stay tuned, folks.
Reign it in...party girl. And by partying, I mean running fast, not drinking margaritas
- Sleepy Sometimes Healthy: A while back, I wrote about how I was lacking in the sleep department…that hasn’t changed. I’m averaging about 5.5 to 6.5 hours, which is just not enough. When I do not sleep enough, I do crazy things, like write entire posts dedicated to my love for coffee. Note to self: must sleep more.
- Blogger Identity: I’m still trying to figure out my niche in the blogosphere. Lately, I know my posts about “healthy living” have been a bit more sparse, with most posts focusing on fun aspects of my everyday life. This is because I’m a bit too busy these days to dream up more wacky food combos. Trust me, it takes a lot of creativity to make the decision to throw oatmeal and egg beaters in a cup, microwave for 3 minutes and then drench with syrup. This stuff just doesn’t happen overnight ;-). Anyway, the point is, I need to make more time to do some cooking/baking so I can share my crazy creations with all of you. I know there is an EXTREMELY high demand. Next up: Healthified Cake Pops. I also need to write about some of my workouts, because it’s important to me that I share the parts of me that are healthy! This is a Sometimes Healthy Living Blog, after all.
Get ready for some healthified cake pops
So, there you go. Deep thoughts, by Sometimes Healthy. I hope you enjoyed a laundry list of what I thought about as I trucked 60 minutes home in the pouring rain last night. Even though I was completely drenched from head-to-toe and looked like a wet dog by the time I arrived to the gym, I think the walk was well worth it! Hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll have a race recap for you!
Peace out,
Sometimes Healthy
Question:
What’s your favorite activity for clearing your mind?
I’ve been cutting my grandparent’s grass and it’s 3 hours spent on a lawn mower. All that time to clear my mind. I love it. It’s not much exercise, but it’s just what I need.
Don’t beat yourself up because you are injured! Injuries are so frustrating 🙁 try and concentrate on things you can do! i got injured after a 1/2 marathon and it really messed me up mentally; listen to your body and don’t be afraid to take a break!
Working out is definitely at the top of my list for clearing my mind. I love how honest this post was…it is hard to strike a balance in life and I think you’re doing a great job!
When I’m super stressed about something, cleaning clears my mind. I’m not the neatest person in the world so for me to take a day and thoroughly clean my apartment, you know there is something on my mind!
I love going for walks that just help you figure everything out. Nothing feels better than organizing all the confusing thoughts into a neat list. I always feel like it’s easier to tackle everything once I have it all laid out.
great post 🙂 If you did decide to run yesterday, I hope it went well. It was gnarly humid out there.
I can totally relate to all of your points – I feel like I”m constantly trying to balance the loving what I do (which I currently don’t) and doing what I love (which I’m trying so hard to actually start doing). And this definitely involves getting my sh*t together. What I am learning is that it’s all a big, long process, and half the battle is learning along the way. For clearing my mind, it’s definitely running or yoga that helps most!
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A walk in the rain sounds absolutely relaxing! I understand how you feel; I’m at a point in my life where I feel like I am trying to “figure out things” on a daily basis. It’s stressful when things are a bit out of sorts, but I try to remember that I am very fortunate and am physically healthy. Sometimes I just let my mind run a mile a minute and often forget that it’s okay to slow it down!
that’s EXACTLY why I love New York too… there is always something new to me that I never noticed before!! honestly, “Do what you Love or Love What you Do?” is a constant battle for me too. all the 20-something’s in NYC must have caught it. 😉
-courtney
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