Mud for Mental Health

Running was my salvation this summer.  For 21 out of 30 days this June, there was rain in Augusta, ME.  Instead of watering our potted plants, we spent the month emptying the rain out of them.  Normally, that much gray sky would hurl me into a nasty funk of boredom and crabbiness.  I couldn’t lounge on the deck with my books, or eat breakfast in the sunshine, or hang my laundry on the line to dry.  Ironically, it was my conviction to embrace the weather (or at least give it an awkward one-arm hug) that prevented me from becoming a werewolf this summer.  In May, I had signed up for an Independence Day race, and I was determined to be powerful and fit by the 4th of July.  For eight weeks I trained, usually in a steady drizzle. 

            With sunny weather, getting myself motivated to run is a major daily challenge, so forcing myself to throw on sneakers and shorts in a 54 degree rainstorm took superpowers.  It was like deciding to jump into a cold swimming pool five days a week.  I wavered at the edge, but once I was outside with socks soaking up the puddles and lines of mud across my calves, I didn’t regret it.  Running got rid of the numbness in my butt that came from sitting inside all day.  It helped me sleep well at night.  It made me hungry for hearty food like baked potatoes, mushrooms and pasta, shepherd’s pie, and my mom’s Dominican rice and beans.  Every day, my legs were happily tired and I appreciated the misty air -- cool and delicious, like watermelon. 

            I’ve been a runner on and off for years and I know that I always feel best when I’m in shape.  I was surprised though, at how upbeat being in shape made me during one of the rainiest summers in Maine’s history.  If you’re feeling lazy and cranky and are considering trying getting in shape because it sounds kind of (but not really) fun, I URGE YOU TO DO IT.  Here’s how it will go: 

 

Day 1:  Enter with enthusiasm, but finish first workout with the impending doom of having to repeat something equally difficult from now until eternity. 

Day 2:  The same, without the initial enthusiasm. 

Day 3: The same. 

Day 4: A sense of accomplishment. 

Day 5:  Satisfaction and impeding doom combined. 

Week 2:  The beginning of a slow realization that you can only think about one workout at a time.  Running forces you to start focusing on the “now” because it’s too tiring to think about the future.    

 

            It took me a long time to come to terms with being a runner.  It’s a backwards sport, because I enjoy it most when I’m not actually running.  It was my 5k goal that kept me motivated to run five days a week.  I envisioned myself smug and exhausted after whizzing past crowds at my first race of the summer.  That’s what kicked me out the door on my grossest, least enthusiastic days. If you’re thinking of starting to run, sign up for a race that’s about eight weeks away.  Put it on your calendar with a count down and start training immediately.  I hope that by the end of your first or fifth or tenth race, you will learn to love it as I have.