How I Transformed Running My Way of Meditation

Run, Cynthia, Run! – just to like paraphrase the famous line from ‘Forrest Gump’, because in my humble opinion, these words describe perfectly my previous love/hate relationship with sports. Why I am describing this as a ‘love/hate’ relationship and I didn’t just stop at the word ‘love’? …Cause, let me put it like this: this definitely wasn’t love at first sight Before I fell in love with it, I’ve never imagined that I would turn into one of those joggers who will sacrifice an hour of sleeping just to wake early in the morning and… basically, run in the park just to like get that extra-boost of energy. Until three years ago, I thought, actually I was 100% convinced a strong cup of coffee will do the trick and spare me the ‘Forrest Gump’ drama. Moreover, as a child I was that chubby and lazy girl who dreamed about of inventing a robot or other Star Wars inspired crazy devices, who always read awkward books that nobody even knew those exist. … That until, one day, when I stumbled upon what the world describes as a ‘treadmill’ Don’t get me wrong: I used a treadmill once before, I jogged in parks and on stadium tracks, but I’ve always felt like that moment was my ‘official entrance’ into this world of jogging. Ten minutes later, my tongue was almost like hanging on the floor and my legs felt like I was wearing spacewalking footwear. I remember I felt so humiliated, so embarrassed and I decided to take a short break because I literally needed to digest this. As soon as I got the chance to breath I realized something inside me has changed, something happened that made me fall in love with this activity, irremediably.rnEven to this very day, I’m still not able to explain itrnThe beginning is super difficult, especially if you were like me, someone who had no clue about what lies ahead, which in my perspective does nothing but transform your journey into something way more challenging and fun. Wait, So What Happened Next? 12 minutes of more intense running, which quickly transformed into 15, 20, and, after a while, 45 minutes.rnMy dream is to be able to cover 10 kilometers, until Christmas, and of course my secret and ultimate DREAM is to run a semi-marathon. However, before these so-called ‘#goals’, a word that everyone seems to incorporate into their sentences lately, I think the most important objective is to respect my weekly treadmill routine and to cover those morning jogging sessions, because, believe it or not, these habits have the power to make me smile and realize that I can move mountains if I set my mind to it. I know this may sound crazy: accepting advices from that student who scored the most miserable results at every single endurance test in high school, who used to come up with the most embarrassing excuses just to skip sports, I am the one who is urging you now to discover the miracles of jogging? Although it does sound weird, I think that’s exactly why you should take my advice and if, as by magic, you will listen to what I’ve been mumbling for the last 20 minutes, you should go and purchase a pair of good running footwear, like right now. … And, once you find them, while you’re tying the laces, keep this in mind: never decide whether you like it or not after the first try. You will be exhausted and considering that you are not accustomed to the effort, you will be discouraged – which is completely natural. Do not try to copy or surpass anyone during the first months – the first running sessions are meant to get your body used to the demanding physical effort and, certainly do not, search the internet for optimal running time or ideal speed because now you are just trying to find your balance, style and rhythm – just like dancing. Plus, some of my personal experiences Running will transform you into a more confident, more resilient and yes, happier human being.rnIt certainly turned me into those listed above: this is the time I’m allocating to myself, without personal trainers, without indications, this is the time I struggle to overcome myself. The time I use to relieve stress, to come up with new ideas and why not with solutions. Long story short: instead of paying good money of psychotherapy, I run on the treadmill or jog in the park, because jogging turned me into an addict in a good way.rnThe endorphins (happiness hormones) released by the human body after a rigorous training offer me a well-being I crave for again and again and again. All these without restraining myself from anything in terms of eating because I am such a huge gourmand and I eat whatever and whenever I want because I know jogging will take care of the ‘rest’. Considering I am not sure how to finalize this story, I will use as conclusion the following formula: “Believe that success is the only option”.