Feb 23, 2021 – Dreams

Hi Everyone!

This week I’ve been reflecting on this time of year in general. February usually brings some of the coldest days of the year, and by now the snow and slush and freezing winds might no longer a novel challenge that we might enjoy leaning into a little, but more of a steady chipping away at our good humour.

This happens around this time every year. But we know we’re just a few weeks away from that first unseasonably warm day which gets us all out and … what? That is my problem this year. Sure, I’m looking forward to warmer temps, but I don’t have glorious visions of big goals or fun vacations. I’m not being pulled along through February by dreams and plans. Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy my ‘process’ and I’m generally fine with taking one day at a time, but man … dreams are pretty fun.

One of the things that makes humans unique is our ability to project into the future and visualize and plan. (Of course this is a double-edged sword as it also sometimes comes with the side-effect of anxiety and dread.) We are constant story tellers. Our brains tell us a story about what is likely to happen, and then we are stuck with that version of events until reality proves us either right or wrong. As a side note, humans are phenomenally bad at predicting the actual future. So we are constantly living in a made-up world that we assume is going to happen. Very few of us live in the actual present unless you’re very good at mindfulness (a topic for another post!)

So back to February. I realize I’ve allowed my projected future reality to go gray. I’m not tethered to a dream. I’ve found myself not really excited about anything right now. But why can’t I make something up? Who cares how realistic these dreams are? It doesn’t matter whether they come true or not. At least my dreams can pull me through February and maybe even March. I think I just have to get a little more creative with my dreams. True, most races are not happening this spring (there are still always virtual options of course but I find those have a bit of a dimmer switch on compared to the real things). And “April Break” will not involve ski slopes or beaches. But I’m sure I can come up with something that makes me happy and excited to look forward to. And maybe it’s not even running related. Maybe it’s a multi-day staged cycling or hiking trip or paddling adventure. Or maybe it’s a long-term dream that I can really get behind – like a 2 year race goal project. Really, it can be anything, but I do believe it should be something.

I find when I’m buoyed and excited by one thing, it translates into other areas of my life. And maybe most importantly, a dream necessitates hope. The future you’re living in in your head regains colour and is no longer so gray.

So that’s my challenge to myself and all of you too. If you’ve found yourself with the “blahs”, come up with a dream that you can picture, and allow it to pull you along – and I am open to suggestions!!!

On that note, if your dream involves running some fast times this summer or learning to race different distances, the Achilles 5K or 10K could be a good stepping stone!

If you’d like to join us, please let Monica know.

Workouts for this week:

Hills! We’re back on this week. Pottery, Balsam or Glen Manor seem to be the hills of choice these days. Any hill, any combo of long/short
Workout/tempo option: (tempo a little shorter this week as many are on a recovery week for ATB unless otherwise prescribed) – 6 min, 4 min, 3 min, 3 min, 4 x 1 min (2 min bw everything except 90 sec between 4 x 1)

That is all – have a great one everyone!

Seanna