It’s a New Year and time for those New Year’s Resolutions!! Do you find yourself cringing when you hear that phrase? Don’t worry, you are not alone as I am right there with you. I can’t even remember the last time I made a resolution and stuck with it for more than what seemed like 2 days. Seriously people, I’m horrible with them. It’s as if the word ‘resolution’ itself turns evil in my world and sabotages every good intention I had to change something. That’s why this year I’m going about it differently and looking to re-invent things in my life.
Lately I’ve been devouring books about these crazy ultra-runners. These guys (and gals) run distances that I don’t even fathom walking in one go. To the ultra-runner, a marathon (26.2miles) is a short race. They do races of 50miles, 100miles or more through places like the Colorado Rockies, the High Sierra’s or Death Valley. Yep, these people are probably borderline legitimately crazy. And…I am absolutely intrigued by them. It’s not just the fact they can push themselves through some of the most incomprehensible discomfort and achieve things that most can’t that intrigues me. It’s their lifestyle that intrigues me. Their stories of things they’ve overcome, how they live, what they eat. One of the most elite ultra-runners didn’t start running until he was about 40. He totally re-invented his lifestyle and himself, and along the way became one of the most elite endurance athletes out there. Another started running as a way to keep in shape for another sport he did growing up. He ran even more to help himself find clarity and peace in everyday life. One thing led to another and he found himself as the winner of many tough ultra-marathons and the person others were chasing down. A common theme I found in these books was how each one realized that how they took care of their bodies determined how they felt, how they raced, how quickly they could recover from workouts and races and how they pretty much never got sick. They both talked about recovering quickly from injuries such as ankle sprains and torn ligaments (heck, they even still raced with those injuries) and how they realized over time that the better they took care of themselves, the less they experienced soreness, inflammation, and achy muscles. As they aged in years, they found themselves even healthier and their performance levels better than when they were younger.
This intrigued me. This is not the norm of society. This made me think “I want what they have”. Am I ready to become an ultra-marathoner though? Heck no, I may be crazy but I’m not that crazy…at least not yet. What I did learn from these books though is that if you truly put your mind to something, you can achieve it. This made me think of my history of resolutions; had I not put in the full effort I should have? Maybe in the past they weren’t truly anchored in my mind (and heart) as something I wanted to change. So this year, instead of setting resolutions, I’m looking to re-invent a few things about my lifestyle. I’m going to connect to the things that resonate with me that I want to add in as part of my daily lifestyle . A few things that come to mind are eating healthier with more plant-based foods (I personally feel better if I don’t eat too much meat); to re-connect with people close to me in a more heartfelt way than relying on technology/social media; to start running (again) on a regular basis for the sake of moving, for the calming effect it has on me and the clearing effect it has on my mind; and to make sure I keep the connection in my nerve system functioning as best as it can through staying adjusted. These to me seem all do-able, no matter if I call them resolutions or re-inventions. If an overweight, out-of-shape, couch potatoe of a 40 year old can change and become an elite endurance athlete, then I think we each can truly make the changes we want in our lives.