half training week five: my first car accident and all the drama that ensued

Highs and lows - such is life. On Thursday I was walking around under the scorching sun with an old friend talking about how you need lows to really be able to fully appreciate the highs in life, as grievous as the lows may be. This week has been a lot of me "taking it easy" because on Tuesday, I got rear-ended and experienced some whiplash. I went to see a physiotherapist who told me to hold off on any running, climbing or yoga until the x-ray results come back. I'm hoping that it's nothing too serious. In any case, I will share how the beginning of my week went, running-wise, and how it just went downhill from there. On the bright side, a lot of walking ensued.

Monday - 6.4k, 40 min
Stat holiday today so I ran in the morning - though not as early as I had liked, because I was out pretty late last night (I saw Drake perform for free it was great AND I pet so many dogs - best day ever!), so I ended up heading out around 10am. It was already hot as heck outside. Today I decided I'd allow myself to be distracted by music and you know what? It didn't really help my average pace out that much, but I also realized that I listen to a lot of "slow bangers" (i.e. the BPM is not very high but it's a catchy song) so that doesn't help me pick it up. Music is a distraction, I need to be more in tune with my body - to be aware of my pace, breathing and to understand whether I'm pushing hard enough when I need to, and equally as important, to ease off when necessary.

Tuesday - rest
Isn't it funny how a super great day can be followed by a not-so great one? Today really put my breathing tactics to the test, as the car accident happened today. I'm not sure if I was in shock or I was able to remain calm in some scary situation but alas I made it. The crash happened in seconds, and then dealing with it took about five hours...all I wanted was to go home. It really was an incredibly stressful situation that I hopefully never have to deal with again. Thankfully I was fairly close to home and not in the middle of nowhere. Definitely could have been worse, so at least there's that.

Wednesday - 3.3k, easy pace
The car accident was a whole ordeal and no, it isn't over yet. Now I have to deal with all sorts of doctors and physio - it's just a pain (pardon the pun). I went out for a run just to calm my nerves and I took it easy, it was nice. It was therapeutic. This is prior to the physiotherapist telling me to ease off. She said I can walk - so walking it is.

Thursday to Sunday - rest/walking
Since I'm allowed walk, I made the most of it and walked about 8 km on Thursday, around my old neighbourhood while catching up with an old friend. It was super hot and sunny - anytime a breeze blew by, it was most certainly welcome. There is just something really wonderful about being outside, it makes me feel a lot better than being cooped up indoors. More walking happened on Saturday and Sunday. Just so many walks. It's been quite pleasant.

Being sedentary is making me really antsy - I feel like I need to get active, a bit more than just walking. One of my besties Lisa suggested that I visualize myself running, and that it is quite effective from a mental training perspective. She linked me this article and I tried to follow the steps that they mentioned. Let me tell you, it is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be. I would close my eyes and visualize myself running, but there was something missing. Perhaps it takes practice, but I couldn't feel the tiredness, the sweat - all I saw was the trail and I sped through it. It wasn't at all like being outside, running the route. This visualization process is very similar to meditation, but you have your running in mind. I've never been one to meditate (except yoga, which is moving meditation) and it is not easy, to say the least. With that being said, when has anything worthwhile been easy? This is why monks spend their lives dedicated to meditation and mindfulness. It's a lifelong process, and takes practice. So I'm not going to stop the visualization, as hard as it is right now and try to meditate. Both Lisa and Nate mentioned meditation and its benefits so I knew it was worth a shot. I did try some walking meditation on Saturday morning, where I went for a walk and listened to this track using the app "Stop, Breathe & Think." It was a nice reminder to be more aware of my surroundings. There was one particular part of the walking meditation track that really resounded with me - when the guide said to feel the ground beneath you, how it's so solid and supportive - how it's holding you up. It made me come back to the realization that no matter how hard things get, you will always have the earth beneath you to support you. This sense of support and steadfastness you get from the earth is something that you will always have. There are so many things swirling around my mind constantly, going a mile a minute - it is definitely worth trying to slow it down just a little bit and bring some clarity into my life. So, here's to mindfulness.