Exercise Routines

I have found there are two types of people in this world. Ones who love to run and ones who don’t. There’s no in between. You either love it or you don’t. I happen to love to run! It’s in my bones but the older I get, the harder it is.

My love affair began in 6^th grade when I joined my middle school cross-country team. I was starting a new school after being home schooled for 5 years. Yep, bet you didn’t know that about me. We had previously lived in an area without the best schools and my mom, having her master’s in education and a schoolteacher herself, had started homeschooling us. After 5 years, she was returning to work to help my dad start their business which left me starting a brand-new school in 6^th grade in a fabulous school district.

I didn’t know a soul in my grade at my new school, but I did meet one girl at orientation because my parents knew her parents. This sweet girl told me she was going to try cross-country, so I decided to try it too. If that friend had not said that, I’m not sure when or if I would have found running. Isn’t that the way life works in middle school? We do things only if we have a friend. Turns out, that friend never ended up joining the team, but I stuck with it.

There I was…a scrawny 6^th grader trying to fit in with the cool 8^th graders and doing my best to keep up. After several weeks of practice, we had our first meet at a local park. I remember in the middle of the race thinking “wow, I’m doing pretty good”! I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be and was finding speed and energy from deep within. If memory serves me, I placed second on our team just behind the fastest 8^th grader. That season began many future years of cross-country and track seasons.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not always love. Running is hard…especially if you’re out of shape and just getting back into it! I’d also argue it has a low “fun factor” compared to sports with a ball. For me, distance running was where I found one of my God-given talents, so I embraced it. Did I love every second if it? Heck, no! I’d argue it’s one of the toughest sports around but also one of the most unique in terms of teaching both personal accomplishment, team building and encouragement of others.

I had a coach in high school who called certain workouts “red-letter days” and we’d always joke about them but boy were they hard! Those red-letter days prepared us all to be faster and stronger and the hard work always paid off. High school sports do so much to prepare us for life. They teach teamwork, hard work, accountability, integrity, how to build relationships and so much more. Being the difficult sport that it is, I was a little burned out by senior year and chose not to pursue collegiate running. I don’t regret it at all and look back with such fond memories of my high school activities.

It instilled in me a life-long love of running. I feel my best if I’m able to run consistently. Unfortunately, it’s getting much harder with age. I trained and completed an Ironman Triathlon back in 2002 and have struggled with back pain ever since. Note to self, Ironman distance is just too far for this girl. Thankfully, after years of dealing with back pain and trying to find relief, I was able to find the McKenzie method, which was life changing for me. Backs are complicated and there are so many factors but if you are like me, check out this book. Maybe it will change your life, like it changed mine.

Anyway, age hasn’t been my friend with running. If it’s not my back, it’s my hamstring or my knee or a newly found discomfort in my hip. Yeah, getting older pretty much stinks all around but I’ve been able to find other activities to keep me in shape. Mostly, I like metabolic classes and I tolerate strength training. I know it’s good for me, but I’d rather run! A mix of running, metabolic classes and yoga seems to be the perfect mix for me but finding the time is hard.

I wish I had some secret to finding the time and energy, but the secret is basic. I prioritize it. I include it in my morning or daily routine and if I can’t make it happen in the morning, my day tends to be thrown off. I’m grumpier until I can blow off some steam. For the past couple of weeks I’ve had the pleasure of running with my 15-year-old, Isaac. He’s been injured and just getting back into running so to ease him back into it, he’s been on an every-other-day plan. Starting with running 1 minute, walking 1 minute and increasing to a 2-minute run, 1 minute walk, etc. So far, we are up to a 5-minute run and he’s losing me. His “jog” is my “race pace”. Today I’m going to try to keep up with the 6-minute run but I know it’s a losing battle. The last time I could really keep up with him was when he was in 5^th grade and I helped coach his elementary cross-country team. My daughters even tried it for a short while but they weren’t bit by the running love bug!

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What a treat it’s been to run with him again. With teenagers, it’s often hard to find time to connect with them and share in the things they like to do. I can’t really play NBA2K with him, but I can try to keep up with him during a run…and while in quarantine right now, no one has the option of going to team practices so he’s stuck with me! So, while I’m dying to keep up, I’m treasuring the time.

With each passing year, I find it harder and harder to run. Well, I mean my body finds it harder to run. In my mind I’m still 27. So, I have to remind myself almost daily to be thankful for the capabilities I still have and not to overdo it. To keep myself strong and healthy but not pushing it so much that I know I won’t be able to walk the next day. I guess age does come with a bit of knowledge! I know my limits and while I am disgruntled by the fact that I feel more limited with each passing year, I embrace the knowledge and life experiences I’m gaining. What are your favorite exercise routines? I’d love to hear about them! xo, Monique