Have you ever found yourself in the rhythm & experience of doing something where time just didn’t exist, joy was limitless and peace filled each cell of your soul? The magic of being where you are almost feels like you aren’t here at all?
I’d gone out dancing late with friends the night before so my early alarm felt, well, really early on Saturday morning.
Begrudgingly, I pulled the warm covers back. I got up and stumbled over my heels and microdress on the bedroom floor that I had pealed off 6 hours prior while climbing into bed. The sun was barely creeping into the sky and it was time to brush my teeth and then go searching for my gear.
As I stood looking in the mirror, toothbrush ready to go, I noticed the gold eye glitter from the “black & gold” themed dance party. I decided to bring my bling to the trails and not wash it off. Zoom in on the sweaty selfie and see the sparkles! 😉
Saturday’s training run was my “cobwebs” day where I dusted off the trail running crate, pulled out the running poles, water bottles (hopefully not moldy), energy chews, electrolytes, glide, Buff, trail shoes, salty snacks and a wind layer to stuff in the hydration pack.
In my diabetes world, I dialed back my insulin, grabbed my“just-in-case” kit which is a meter, syringe, insulin & extra glucose. This kit was shoved to the bottom of my pack.
If you have it, you don’t need it. If you don’t have it, you need it. This wasn’t my first diabetes & extended-hours-of-exercise rodeo!
Cobwebs cleared, pack in hand, I met up with my running besties. We sorted car shuttles to trailheads and began.
❤️Bliss.
❤️ Heaven.
❤️ Love.
❤️Joy.
❤️Happiness.
I adore trail running.
It’s my church.
It’s my heaven.
It’s my Zen.
It is here I feel happiness beyond words.
It had been almost 2 years since I’d grabbed a chunk of hours doing what I love on the trails.
T-o-o L-o-n-g
The run offered ease, peace and strength like I hadn’t felt in some time.
It was just so so so good.
We finished the final few miles together and wrapped up a lovely morning by shuttling everyone to their cars to get home. We have 8 weeks until we are Dolomites bound to reunite our TMB group from 2017.
Sitting in post-run, post-shower recovery glow with my “Athlete Arnold Palmer” & cozy slippers I got curious & reflective about what had filled my life so immensely that trail running had collected a few years of cobwebs & dust, figuratively & literally!
Why had’t I been doing more of trail running these past few years?
What else in my life had been collecting cobwebs & dust, figuratively and literally?!?!
The honest answer, it is complex and layered and possibly still wrapped up in things I have yet to see but I think it’s somewhere between my past pains and my future joys. It’s nuanced.
Perhaps I hadn’t been living as authentically and honestly with myself as I’d thought. Perhaps I’d allowed excuses, justifications, and a variety of reasons to layer as “dust” in my life in how I was showing up for myself.
True, the recent handful of years have brought a tremendous amount of loss & learning forward for me.
To put it mildly, it has been disorienting, dissolving and reshaped how I do life.
Entirely. Now…
I watch more sunrises while sitting.
I don’t heat up the water for my tea as hot, so I can sip it sooner.
I have a much much harder time saying goodbye.
I finally figured out a spicy marg to my liking.
I reach higher, than before, to hug my Littles.
Don Ruiz Miguel’s first agreement we make to ourselves came to my mind, “Be impeccable with your word. Speak with integrity. Say what you mean.”
Aligning what we demonstrate with action in our life with what we declare with our words is the foundation of trust within ourselves and it is how we practice honesty inwardly and outwardly. I recommitted to looking at where dust has settled for all my areas of living!
This #mandalamonday, as we begin our day and our week with an intention to create, let’s release the reasons we are NOT taking action and just Nike it… just do.
happy monday mandalaing...
Terra Thomas MS, NBC-HWC, CHPC is a health and high performance coach with an inspiring story. Triumphing over Legg-Calve-Perthes disease in her early childhood and living with Type 1 Diabetes since 1990, she has transformed her experiences to shape a unique coaching philosophy. Terra's own journey, coupled with her adventures in activities such as ultra-running, skiing, backpacking, waterfall ice climbing and SCUBA diving, have provided her with invaluable insights and a perspective that challenges conventional norms. Clients have experienced transformative results under Terra's guidance, discovering their own path to freedom and well-living. Beyond coaching, Terra embraces worldwide explorations with her two children, constantly seeking out new breathtaking landscapes that fuel her spirit. She also finds solace in the tranquility of sunrise by the ocean outside her Santa Barbara home and the magic of human connection dancing late into the night alongside her love tribe. Terra's unwavering dedication to embracing life fully serves as an inspiration, empowering others to embark on their own extraordinary journeys.
Comments