To Run Free

by Jane Victoria King in Illustrator

Treadmills are no fun. But in a pinch they’ll do better then nothing.

Especially if you’re not sure how long you’ll last and whether or not cement (closest option) is the best thing.

Today I got to sweat. I got to sweat! I got to sweat!

First run in four months since my accident where I really got to run. The fear of one foot in front of the other was gone.

As the salt beaded up and my headband moistened I put on the grin. Full of gratitude. Enormous amounts of gratitude.

This body can heal!

I felt for those who couldn’t do what I was doing today.

Not that I went longer than 20 minutes. But the feeling of freedom, from pain, from all inhibitions sent my heart souring with super large amounts of appreciation for my ability to run.

To RUN!

To run free.

Muffin Tops Ride

Now I know why the geezers in the spandex sit more upright on their rolls. 

The gut gets in the way. Hard to bend over.

How to make yourself more depressed then you already are? Eat more!!!

Yup, it’s been almost three months since my accident (see Broken Wings) and I’m feeling it. The muffin tops that is.

It was me and them tonight. Felt great getting out there. Even if it was only for an hour.

Got a riding pal that does the Randonneeurs super long distance cycling and also heads out with the TripleShots - back when I could. The regular citation to me when I gleamed over being Lantern Rouge was, “The lighter you are, the faster you go...”
OUCH!

Can’t help that the spirits got a little damp riding the healing train. Long, painful and not done yet.

Yet to make light of the situation and the living in the now, I’m just going to have to keep inviting those muffin tops out for a ride.

Lots of them.

Muffin tops you go ride now you hear!

Muscles Remember

Ten weeks of inactivity = MUFFIN TOPS!

Ten weeks later I’m back on my roady!

As I rolled out of the marina I saw a few of my neighbours.

“Back on the bike hey,” he said.

I admitted I was scared getting back on.

Surprisingly the legs felt strong. Given the pelvic injury (see post) the core is still working it’s way back. Shoulder is going to take some time.

I cut myself some slack and set out for an hour. Passed my fave Saturday morning cycling gang. Arm in the air I was so proud.

“First roady!” I proclaimed as they rolled by.

The first raise of the heart rate up the seaside slopes. I felt the old familiar taste of salt. I was in heaven.

All along I kept saying to myself how grateful I am to have my health. How grateful I am to be able to ride. How grateful I am for where I live.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise upon my return to the bike shop for a social was seeing my son. He being the one I called first when I went down. I remember it like it was yesterday.

“Kyle, I went down really hard on my bike, you need to come and get my bike NOW!”

So I had him snap me a new picture. The lb’s are up. But the spirit is back.

And thank goodness.
The muscles remember!

Yoga and You

Cob House Building on Cortes Island (this wall was straw!)

Did my first yoga class since I can’t remember when yesterday morning. It felt great!

I was careful. Allowing my body to guide my ability.

Throughout I kept asking myself,

“Why don’t you do this everyday?”
Years ago I cycled over to Cortes Island to learn how to build a Cob house. Mud and straw and lots of stomping.
I’ll leave it at that.

The teacher offered to share her daily practice.

Something she did EVERY morning before breakfast.
Even before coffee. A habit like brushing your teeth. Except it takes a little longer.

Bravely, I joined in. It was a routine of movements. Mostly yoga. Once done you felt so alive. So awake. So balanced.

The memories strolled through my mind today. I was so grateful to of been able to do a yoga class yesterday (see Broken Wings). Lovely Laura, our dear family friend greeted me as I went in. This was a class I’d never done.

“Lots of breathing,” she said assuredly.

I was ready.

In the past yoga has awakened dark emotions in me. Resulting in tears.

This class brought me healing.
We were asked to focus on one word. Mine was peace.

In concluding the class the teacher sang a mantra. Later, I was to discover it was a healing song.

Feels like I’ve rekindled the yoga and me. How about you?

I’m wondering if you’ve done a yoga class recently?

The Body is Home

The roof I have over my head isn’t my home. My body is.

With it I breathe, smell, feel, touch, laugh, cry, hear, sing and taste.

Inner peace is in the soul. Deep inside. Soothing and warm. Friendly at all times. Loving and free,

Nourishment is survival. Air. Leafy greens, proteins, fruits. Water.

Love.

When things are injured - the body repairs. With help. Careful intake of the appropriate elements.

But toxins surround. In the environment, tangled in food and even our water.

It copes. Mechanisms inside adapt.

Or it is allowed to build up. Blackness may appear. Cancer or other diseases take root.

It’s the mind that directs. Stress plays. Diminishes the senses. Stuns the sustenance.

Hard for some to let it go. To free oneself.

Time marches on. The body ages. Years pass. It shrinks. We accept.

The body it’s our home.

Five weeks today I fell off my road bike and fractured by pelvis in two places and my clavicle.

Today I am so grateful for my healing.
Each day my body is getting stronger.

My body, my temple – my home.

Muffin Tops

Best name I’ve heard yet for the fat that forms above the hips.

Had a big scare when I made it into the gym this week. My how they grow when you aren’t exercising.

Very sad. I am missing sweating and raising my heart rate. Most of all, riding in a pack with the TripleShot Pre-Dawn Cycling Destination Club.

An avid cyclist I know who consistently wins or places in the top three had the best advise for me.

He talked about Lance Armstrong. How when he was so sick his body and muscles went down to nothing. Yet, when he came back – he bounced back. Working it all the right ways.

I formalize in my mind how I can heal from old injuries during this time. To come back stronger.

From what I’ve been reading on various blogs with regards to pelvic fractures, it will be some time before I can run again. The range of motion with the clavicle fracture is good. But working it is testy. (See Broken Wings.)

Yet the recumbent bicycle beckons!

I tested 20 minutes after a little stretching and crunches. Only to suffer the afternoon with some pain-killers.

But I’m learning. What the body wants. What the body can take.

Ice cream (emotional/sympathy soothers) and growing muffin tops!