Page 19 - WTP VOl. V #9

When she felt confident in her cool circles, she started exuding more confidence in other set- tings. And now? This girl is freaking nails. She is untouchable. Kicking ass and taking names like you wouldn’t believe. She is no longer cool; she’s ice.
Well, I wanted to be ice, too. So, it got me think- ing. Where do I feel cool? Where do I feel strong and confident? Where do the insecurities of my personality, my body, and my inability to navigate the social world melt away? Where do I feel like I have an edge? Where is the playing field leveled to a standard where it’s less about how cool and effortless things are for you, and more about your pain threshold and your ability to put forth maxi- mum effort in order to go the distance?
“Where do I feel cool? Where do I feel
The answer is simple: in my Brooks. Running. It all comes back to running. When I run, I run far. I’m not the fastest, far from it in fact. But I can go the distance, and I am getting faster. When I run, I’m so focused on my goal that I don’t have the time or the energy to worry about what other people think of me. I don’t need to know what’s clever or hilarious because there is no talking at a tempo pace. I don’t have to worry about sweat- ing through my clothes because sweat no longer means anxiety; sweat becomes power realized.
strong and con dent? Where do the insecuri es of my personality, my body, and my inability to navigate the social world melt away?”
I know what I want and I get it in my cross hairs and shoot for the PR.20
In my daily life, I’m incredibly insecure about how I look. I’m constantly comparing myself to others. How’s my hair? Are my clothes boring? Should I wear more makeup? Less makeup? Should I max out my credit cards to buy clothes that make me look cool but that I’m too embar- rassed to wear because only cool people wear those clothes? Why is it the only time I feel thin enough is when I’m severely calorie depleted? What’s wrong with me? I hate this body. I would just as soon destroy it than celebrate it.
Enter running.
When I run, it’s the only time I like and respect my body. It’s strong and my muscles are celebrat- ed. My breathing works symbiotically with the
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20 PR = Personal Record. That’s the sweet spot.
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