Today was my long run. I wasn't sure when this week I would be able to get in the 8 mile long run that was part of my training this week. And putting it on my calendar in advance for some reason leads me to dread the day. Today was a relaxed Sunday, with no agenda, a perfect time to run. The sky was cloudy and the temperatures were in the low 80's, a little humid but thankfully cloud cover.
I have been wanting to run the big hill off Long Hollow, straight up, but have always found an excuse to not run it. Today was the day. Straight up I went, it was long. I used the distance to run with my eyes closed, something I will do on a hill that is really hard. I put myself in the place of a person with blindness. How is the world different from that point of view? I close my eyes, thinking of Gavin, my friends son who has blindness as a result of prematurity. I thought of the person this year who completed the Country Music Marathon. How did they do it? I tried to pay attention to the sounds. It was quiet. And I became aware. I could only close my eyes a few minutes before I'd had to see what was going on. I would test myself trying to run a little longer with my eyes closed. On one of my blind trials I began veering off the road, opening my eyes just before I ran off the road. All you runners out there, try it, view the world from a different perspective. Appreciate the great gift our eyes are and the utter awe of those without their sight and how God allows them to view the world.
The rest of the run was peaceful. I love runs like the one I did today. It was quiet, with sights to see, hay bales, a family of quail, the stream that is very low right now, a few cars, a smashed turtle, and frog in the road, some buzzards. I was comfortable.
"I will run with perseverance the race that is set before me"
Blessings for a peaceful day,
Michele
About Me
- mpc YOGA for ALL
- Hendersonville, Tennessee, United States
- “I believe in the power of yoga,” says MPC YOGA FOR ALL founder Michele Priddy. “I have seen lives change, including my own, in deep, transformative and real ways.” Michele, who holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Middle Tennessee State University and certification as a RYT-500 from Yoga Alliance, has more than two decades of experience helping adults and children of all ages and abilities reach their maximum potential. Her highly-individualized yoga classes, workshops and in-service training programs are more than just opportunities to for her students to move: they are transformational experiences made even richer by Michele’s deep understanding of yoga movement, breath work and philosophy coupled with an encyclopedic knowledge of anatomy and physiology. In addition to teaching yoga at Middle Tennessee’s most respected yoga schools, Michele has led workshops for children with disabilities, teachers, social service workers, parents and others on a variety of topics including Yoga for Children, Yin Yoga, Mindfulness, Adaptive Yoga and Vinyasa Flow.
Ryan and Mom
Chattanooga Half Marathon, February 26, 2011
1 comment:
I have tried this myself in other situations than running. I often try to navigate the house at night when all the lights are out. I get why my son does not run. One day he will be out there like the guy in this last Country Music Marathon. I love that people like you are assisting those who want to participate. It's so amazing.
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