Notre Dame revisited...............................

This time it was for our (fourth) annual 10K (6.2 miles) race.

I got into town Friday, late afternoon, with plenty of time to pick up our race packets and fix a great pre-race dinner. With both wheat and tomatoes on my do not eat list the girls were more than happy to forgo the normal spaghetti and bread sticks and eat what I was having; fresh green beans, asparagus, and some pasta made from rice and vegetables, dressed with a little oil.

The next morning, as I stumbled my way to the coffee pot a wave of nausea came over me. How strange is that? Stranger still is both of the girls were feeling the same thing. The only thing that seemed the reasonable culprit was the balsamic vinegar I had used on the asparagus. Who knew vinegar could go bad? And what did it matter at that point? We had a race to run.

I really enjoyed the race course this year, for a couple of reasons. First, because I have ran it enough that it is familiar and thus comfortable. Second, working with the homeopathic doctor has really helped my breathing. I didn't wheeze once while running, and was able to control my breathing the entire race. I suppose I should add that I may have had an easier time controlling my breath because each time I tried to push my legs a little faster I got that cold, clammy, followed by chills feeling, that would cause me to drop back to my normal running pace.

I did have a few thoughts about whether or not this would be the race I would receive my DNF (did not finish) status. When these would surface, I would focus on staying in the now, in being present and say things like, "Right now you are running fine. No problems or concerns, right this moment." Which was exactly true. Worrying about feeling sick and whether or not I could keep running (thoughts about an unknown future) were hindering my race. As long as I stayed focused on the actual present time/step, I REALLY didn't have any trouble, and before I knew it I saw the dome and then was running onto the the Notre Dame football field with one more race behind me. My time? 1:08;58. No PR (personal record), but I was very happy with the time as well as the entire experience.

Here is another way to explain why I was able to finish a race that I could have as easily dropped out of, in the words of Eckhart Tolle, from his book, The Power Of Now:

As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action.

Enjoy your day!