Leading With My Mind. My Body Will Follow.

jenmek

After a year of injuries that led to depression - which led to binging and reintroduction to junk food, I'm finally feeling like I'm really on the mend. Yesterday, I ran 4 miles as my weekly "long run". I have to giggle when I write that, because 4 miles use to be a joke to me. "Long run" always meant a least 9 miles; 12 preferred. But as I ease back into running and attempt to not reinjur myself, I now find that 4 miles is my "long". *sigh*

During yesterdays run, I reflected that I feel good. Yes, my weight is still WAY FREAKING too high, but if I focus on how I am feeling...I feel good. I find that I'm not sitting here counting calories. I'm tracking, religiously. But I'm not over analyzing my food and exercise. I'm weaving in and out of my days with sometimes 400 calories over my daily goal and sometimes 400 under my goal. I'm focusing on healthy foods and consuming foods that my body can extract nutrients from and break down naturally. I'm trying not to eat too many chemicals, in the way of artificial sweeteners.

I become very introspectful when I run. It's therapy. I've resolved many of my internal woes during my hours alone pounding the pavement. That's a huge reason why I missed it so badly when I was injured. The level of emotional and mental healing only comes when I release my stress by physical exertion in addition to quiet time.

As I ran, I thought about this leg of my Weight Loss Journey. It came to me that it seems this time, I'm leading with my head. Not my pen and paper calculating calories or points or "Activity Points" (a Weight Watchers term). Leading with my head, and my body will follow. I liked that. I hope that this method will work for me, and it will turn into an easier lifestyle resulting in longer, consistent success.

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I created this as a blog, but decided to post it here. I like to read the blogs of others, so if you're a blogger, please friend me so we can be "blog friends". LOL

MobyCarp

Weight maintenance through injury can be challenging for a runner. Right now, while training for Boston, my daily calorie goal is 3200; while injured, it has been as low as 2200. That's a rather large variance in food to become accustomed to, which explains why a lot of runners who don't track gain weight while injured. It's hard enough to maintain through injury if you *do* track what you eat.

Don't sweat the 4 miles being a long run. If you keep at it, you will get back to where the long runs are as long as you remember.

daj150

I went through a couple years of injury from a stress fracture and multiple knee injuries. I know where you are coming from. I didn't track, had depression, and I gained over 30 lbs. Finally back to tracking and slowly getting that weight back off...but it's always tough to deal with injuries. Always keep focusing on feeling good about your runs and about yourself, and keep moving forward. Any run I complete and feel good both after the run and the day after, I consider that a victory.

TavistockToad

I hated when I couldn't run because of the 'therapy' of it... a lot of people recommended yoga, but it's not the same!

JustSomeEm

Yoga - definitely not the same type of therapy as a good run.

@jenmek - thanks for this post. I'm headed out for a run this afternoon, and your post made me remember one of the reasons why I love to run... I need the therapy today, and it's good to remember that running isn't always just a check in the training-plan-box. I needed the reminder. You rock.

lcyama

oh my goodness, i didn't even see you, even though we are in the same boat.

i stopped running for a few months due to illness, and it put me in a weird funk. a few weeks after i started running again, i finally started feeling 'normal' again. i, too, was running long runs up to 9-12 miles when training for half marathons, but now i've lost all that training and i have to ease back into it. i haven't run farther than 3 miles in months, but soon. i am in no hurry.

i am not running to train for a race now, as i had been for several years. now i am running just to enjoy the run, to have time alone to think, to feel the strength of my legs and the breeze in my hair. enjoy the journey!

WhatMeRunning

I'm in a very similar position, returning to running after a foot injury 9 months ago which in sum resulted in very little running through all that time and about 50 pounds of weight gain.

I've stuck to 3 miles as my longest run so far. And truth be told from the HRM data that was not done at a long run pace but more steady state. I'm really struggling going slow. Most of that is because I can't run slower, I have to run/walk. One walk break leads to more, yada, yada.

With just a couple weeks back on a plan, things are getting a little better. But it looks like my longer runs may still be a ways off, I need to build up some more cardio still.

Keep on running!