Lisa still all smiles at mile 9 of her first half marathon in Mankato in 2011.
ME TIME QUALITY
OVER
QUANTITY By LISA COWNIE
There was a time, about 10 years ago now, I could run 13.1 miles. I remember taking a full year to get to the point of being able to run it comfortably. One year, 52 weeks, 365 days. Guess how long it took me to lose whatever ground I'd made? Two weeks. Two weeks, half a month, only 14 days. I lost everything: my stamina, my cardio, and worst of all, my desire. I had just finished running the half marathon in the Mankato Marathon. It felt great and I only missed my goal time of two hours, by 56 seconds. I vowed I would do it again, and shave off a minute. That was in mid-October. Then, as the weather tends to do in Minnesota, it turned quickly: cold and blustery. I’ve always been an outdoor runner, could never do treadmills. So, as I sat in my house waiting for a somewhat decent day to run, I felt my motivation waning. When finally, two weeks after the race, I FORCED myself to lace up. I found just getting to three miles was a chore. Running had never been a chore before. I started finding reasons to put it off and not go. Before I knew it, the once commonplace phrase “I’m going for a run” wasn’t even in my vocabulary. I couldn’t believe that something I loved so much at one time, I just couldn‘t bring myself to do. Physically I started to feel “gross” and not having that outlet started having an impact on my mental health as well. I have always believed that if you don’t like something about your life, only YOU have the power to change it. So, knowing running wasn’t an answer at that time, I started thinking about what I could do. I realized I didn’t need to run miles to make a difference, I only needed to take things one step at a time.
24
SUMMER 2022 | MANKATO CLINIC THRIVES
Consider smaller moments of self-care I am a busy mom who works. At that time, my four kids were spread out in a variety of activities. Once they were up and going for the day, it was all about them. So, I started to bookend my day with self-care. I would get up before them so that I could go for a walk or do some yoga or sometimes just meditate. Me time, even if it would only be for 15 minutes to start and end the day, went a long way to helping my mental health.
Not finding the time, but making the time I am in tune with my own body enough to know that I need some form of exercise most days. Not just for physical appearance, but for my mental health. Getting my body moving is the best way to put my mind at rest. Does that make sense? So, while I no longer run, I have found nice, long walks are a great way for me to get some exercise and I find them very therapeutic. However, with my wacky schedule there would be no way to “find” time to walk, I have to plan it. So, each Sunday night I look at the week ahead and see where I can put 30-45 minutes in my calendar for a walk. I sort of treat it as a business appointment that can’t be missed! Sometimes I walk around the neighborhood or, if drive time allows, I’ll go to Red Jacket Trail.
Be Realistic I have come to grips that I may never run 13.1 miles again, and that’s okay. Like with other areas in life, you change and seasons change. Now I know that I have to focus on what I realistically can get done; so my advice to you is to be good to yourself and have fun! Exercise and/ or self-care, is about reducing stress and letting go for a little while. Life is too short to be unhealthy on your own watch. I have re-found my confidence because I realize the only number that counts is one. I just have to take one day at a time, and whether it’s 15 minutes or an hour. Something is better than nothing. ■
