Thinking Out Loud

One of the reasons I like running with my iPhone is because I can use the “notepad” for times when a recipe or post idea pops into my head.

If I don’t quickly type the idea down, by the time I arrive home I almost always lose the train of brilliant thought that occurred to me while out there running my path.

It’s always a positive thing for your self-esteem to assume your thoughts are brilliant.

There was a time in my life where just standing still in the heat and humidity would cause me to faint, let alone attempt to move around in the form of exercise.

Somehow though, I developed a thick skin for running. Not just during the summer months, but all year.

Keeping at it, never giving up, learning to pace myself and often pushing what I thought were limits created a runner in me that my high school gym teacher certainly would have argued never to be possible.

My body adapted and overcame my inability to exercise under strenuous conditions,  can now run multiple miles at a time and can get through speedy runs without collapsing.

I even learned to enjoy it in the process.

As I trudged along my usual path the other morning in the bright sunshine which shouldn’t be so strong before 7:00 am but is anyway, I thought about the concept of developing our thick skin.

Do you think some people are born tough? Are some people naturally born with a thick skin or does it take time to develop? Can you have a thick skin in some aspects of life and not others?

I will never forget being told when my divorce process first began, “You just gotta be strong. And tough. You know, develop a thick skin.”

Easy for others to say, it wasn’t their life crumbling into pieces.

And I remember thinking – but I am not that tough and haven’t a clue how to genuinely turn myself into some reptile.

Being cold-blooded would really work in my favor now though for these hot summer runs.

A thick skin comes with experience. It develops over time when you go through something difficult and make it through to the other side.

Only after surviving something stressful, unpleasant and life altering can you build upon that experience and realize you are stronger than you ever thought possible.

And with those experiences, each time you are faced with a challenge, you can draw upon that strength in order to survive once again.

Sweaty humid difficult runs are never easy but knowing you have done it before allows you to continue to do it again.

Just adjusting your pace, going a little slower rather than stopping completely is often times enough to get through the run where you realize you did it, it wasn’t so bad and you can certainly do it again.

They say the heart is resilient but so is the rest of our body.

Each time we are put to the test, be it during a run or when we go through an emotional period, break up or divorce, the next time a similar situation arises , it may or may not hurt any less but you are much stronger and better equipped to deal with it because of what you have already experienced.

I think running is more than about fitness. It makes you get all philosophical and learn things about yourself that perhaps you never realized.

Running also builds a certain level of confidence, a toughness we never knew we were capable of which carries over into every other area of life.

In fact, running lately has helped me to develop an interesting new coping mechanism and since I am in a good mood this morning, I am going to tell you about it so maybe you can use it too.

When someone attempts to bring you down, break your heart, or, if the guy ahead of you on the line at Cold Stone Creamery orders the very last chocolate-dipped waffle bowl, instead of getting upset, remind yourself that at any given time or place, no matter the weather condition, you can totally outrun them and barely break a sweat in the process.

Just add this to the list of the benefits of speed work.

Be sure to check out what everyone else is thinking about today!

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Do you often need to write ideas down while you are running?

Do you think running has made you tougher?

Would you say you have a thick skin?