As the last of the leaves are falling off the trees, the days are getting chiller. This past week, I’ve been finding myself having a harder and harder time getting out of bed and head out for a run. I typically do my run (6 miles in distance) between 7:30 to 8:00 a.m. My goal is to finish my run shortly after Ruby wakes up. Then, we can begin the day as a family and have breakfast together.

Yesterday morning when I woke up around 7:30, I noticed the heater was running. We had the thermostat set at 69 degrees overnight. By that signal, I knew it would be cold outside. My husband checked the temperature on his phone. It was 43 degrees.

By my comfort level, 43 degrees is extreme temperature. I was trying to make excuses so that I could just stay in bed, underneath the warm comforter. Sure, I could put on long-sleeve top and bottom and even wear a hat and glove. I could even double each layer. With the appropriate clothing and winter accessories, no temperature should be too cold to head out for a run.

My Thoughts on Exercise Gears and Performance

However, I’m pretty typical when it comes to putting on clothing and exercising. I don’t like wearing more than three layers of clothing in general. Perhaps it’s my smaller frame. Anything over three layers on the top tires out my shoulders and I feel “too” bundled up. When I exercise, I prefer to wear one layer on top and one on the bottom. I can tolerate wearing a pair of shorts over a pair of long pants. Anything heavier would make me feel restrictive. And I feel like I wouldn’t be able to perform my best. Each time I exercise, I want to feel like I put out a lot. I push myself to increase my performance. I seriously feel wearing anything more than one or two thin layers would affect my performance.

As I continued staying under the blanket, my husband could tell I was struggling. I was either going to get out for my run right then or the run would have to wait until the next day. And I had no desire to remove myself from the warm blanket. I turned to my husband and started chatting with him. I felt guilty. Maybe he could say something to relieve my guilt?

Instead, every word that came out of his mouth was the opposite of what I wished to hear. Then, he said something very profound that had me paused my thoughts and pondered. He said, “It’s a gift to your body. I promise that by the second mile you’ll feel good and you’ll feel great by the time you finished.” And by “it”, he was referring to keeping up with my exercise routines.

My Current Exercise Routines, Leg Injuries and Past Setback

What’s my current exercise routine? I run 6 miles every other day, averaging 9.5 minutes per mile. I also supplement my cardio workouts with weight (strengthening) training three times a week at the fitness center. I’ve came a long way with my workouts. Back in year 2009, I was doing 4-miles run two to three times a week. Then, my now husband got me into going to the gym and doing strength training. Working along with him, my body got stronger and I completed several city-wide races.

Then, I started having leg injuries here and there, such as Achilles tendonitis, shinsplints and iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). These injuries really disrupted my exercise routines. Moreover, I felt discouraged with each setback. It took me anywhere between a month to six months to cover from each injury. And during those recovering periods, I had to choose other forms of cardio workouts, most of which I didn’t enjoy as much as running.

After I went through a very difficult labor with my daughter, it took me another year to get back to running again. And I started off very slow. This was in late 2015. I resumed my run doing about two miles each time. It was only in year 2016 that I started doing 4-miles run again.

With the help of my husband once again, I was determined to focus on strengthening my legs. I want to do everything I can do avoid getting leg injuries again. I don’t want to have another setback.

So far this year, I’m very happy to report that I haven’t have any leg injuries. This is a sign that I’ve been doing things right. I also treated myself to better running shoes. I’m pretty confident that’s a big influencing factor, too. When I went to see a physical therapist one time for my Achilles tendonitis, I was told I might have underpronation…or something like that.

Nowadays, being able to run 6-miles distance at a time, consistently, I’ve came a pretty long way. I actually jumped from doing 4-miles distance back in July 2016 to 5-miles and 6-miles in August.

The message I keep telling myself nowadays is this: “Whether I do a 4-miles or 6-miles distance, I still have to take a shower and get my clothes wash. I might as well do the 6-miles distance to make all that effort worth even more.” If I’m not running, I’d prefer to wash my hair twice a week. I like having the natural oil on my hair.

The Highs of Keeping Up with Exercise Routines

I did go out for my run yesterday morning. I put on long-sleeve top and bottom, topped with shorts and a t-shirt over the long-sleeve layer. The temperature was comfortable when I stepped outside. By the second mile mark, I felt good. By the time I got back to my driveway, I felt great. I was happy. And I did share that with my husband. I thanked him for encouraging me to go out for the run.

Throughout the rest of the day, I felt good knowing that I did something great for my body. I felt healthy and fit. I felt strong and alert. I’m holding on to these feelings until my next scheduled run. I’m sure the warmth of the blanket will always be tempting during the next few months. And I’m sure I’ll have many excuses to stay in bed. I asked my husband to help me by reminding me those words he said to me this morning: “It’s a gift to your body.”

My Wish to You and My Question to You

Over the years, I’ve noticed a similar pattern: there are usually more people (new faces) working out at the gym and more runners on the road/trail during the months of January and February; then, March and April come, that crowd would get smaller and smaller; by June, the crowd would get down to only familiar faces.

My wish to you is this: if you would to make a new year resolution for 2018 that has anything to do with exercise, health and well-being, stick with the plan throughout the year and continue to push and challenge yourself; you might experience setbacks along the way; life sometimes get in the way; excuses keep piling up; just keep reminding yourself that, every step, every strike and every lift you take, you’re giving a gift to your body.

No matter where we are in life, handicapped or not, in one way or another, our bodies enable us to perform amazing things each day.

What are you doing/will be doing to say thanks in return?

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