The return of an old friend

Posted by Jennifer Campoli on September 9th, 2010
Filed under Beachbody, Health News, Workouts | No Comments »

Hello there!

Happy Thursday…Friday is oh so near!

Well, Boston is truly beginning to feel like fall. Today I woke up to a cool 60 degrees and a fresh new smell in the air. I love that- the smell of fall in the air is my most favorite thing of the season. Well mixed with the pumpkin, apple spice and clove smell that rings through our house during this season.

The Return of an old friend

I began my day today with a run, a 6 mile run actually. Quite the distance for my body these days, considering I had sworn off running anything more than a mile 3 years ago. When I hurt my back I could barely run 5 minutes without pain. I could barely stand for more than 30 minutes without pain. So the idea of running on pavement, a trail or a treadmill was not my idea of fun.

With strength training, core training, Turbo Jam/Turbo Fire kickboxing and Insanity, my core strength is stronger than ever which has allowed me to do more than I ever thought I would do again! So very unexpectedly, running has entered back into my life.

On our honeymoon, our first stop was Rome. We arrived early Tuesday morning and though we were exhausted from the flight we were dying to check out the city. After a much needed 2 hour nap I woke up and said to the husband that I wanted to go running. Running he asked? We hadn't run together in years. I thought that taking a jog would be a great way to explore the city, find our way around and also get our blood moving.

And so we took off.

My legs felt awesome! It was as if they were waiting for me to let them to go forward. We ran for nearly an hour, throw in many breaks to look at beautiful sites and points in Rome. I hadn't felt more alive in a very long time.

And so, over the course of our 3 week trip we ran 2-3 times each week. It was our way to exploring the city, checking out the sunset and experiencing parts of Europe. It was also a great way to keep exercise in our life while we were gone!

What I loved about our runs together was that it was never focused on time, distance or pace. We just ran. We ran until we were ready to stop, we ran until we felt like our bodies were done. We just ran.

Since returning from our trip I have been running 2-3 times each week. I set out in the morning or evening with no watch, no distance in mind, no real plan. Some days I will run and then do a set of stair climbs. Other days I'll run along the Charles River to a particular bridge and just decide to come home. I always build in about an hour of time as that seems to be what my body enjoys the most. If it's less, that's ok. If it's more, that's ok too!

This has been a new experience for me considering my running history. In the past, I would run to train for a race. I would run to meet an exercise minimum requirement. I would run to lose another 5 pounds. While I love races and exercise, I have never felt better than I do now with the freedom of just running to run. I run until my body says slow down. I run at a pace that feels good. Some days I run much faster. Other days my body craves running intervals.

The best part about this new running plan is that it is based on my body and the connection I have with it! I listen to what it says. If it's sore, I don't push it. If it's ready to go, we push. I am completely in tune with what my body needs when I run. I don't believe I ever paid attention to my body before when I ran in the past. It was always about the goal. It was never about feeling good or feeling alive!

So friends, next time you decide to go running or exercise…do it to feel good. Do it to feel alive. Give yourself the freedom to just listen to your body that day. Don't worry about time, your pace, your distance. Just focus on listening to your body.