Running is so important. I suffered from Guillain Barre more than 2 years. This is an autoimmune condition that left me almost completely paralyzed. I am still recovering and now I can run a bit. I am a bit scared of starting again. Out of fear of injury or it is just triggering, knowing how I was before and how I am now...
Knowing I can run fast was very empowering. I knew if someone threatened me, I could probably outrun them made me feel confident. Now, it is a new reality... this gives me a lot of food for thought.
A colleague of mine on the Safety Team always says "I train in self-defense so I don't have to run." She hates running, but has learned skills to deter an attack, or fight back if an attack is not preventable.
Wonderful lessons and bits of wisdom you picked up along your runs, Christine! And I love the animal sights along the way, too. Thank you for sharing them with us!
@Dr Christine DiBlasio - So interesting! I run so I don’t have to think, in a way. Running has become my way of moving outside difficult emotional thinking that at times isn't the best for me. I can find some of that with hiking too, but not in quite the same way that running brings. What struck me further was how you wove self-defense into something broader than physical safety: listening to your body, trusting intuition, and letting movement free the mind as forms of self-preservation. Your point about neuroception made me smile :) - that our primitive systems scan for danger long before the thinking brain catches up. Ain't that the truth! It reminded me how often we override those signals instead of respecting them more consistently. And I love how you framed running as self-defense for the soul, not about speed or how well we do it, but about honoring the body’s wisdom.
Yes, it frees us from one type of thinking so that we can be more creative and process in an entirely different way. It’s works for me as I am not struggling to solve a problem, but then….boom…ideas come that I would never have thought of otherwise. Some are great. Some, well…let’s just leave that be.
Running is so important. I suffered from Guillain Barre more than 2 years. This is an autoimmune condition that left me almost completely paralyzed. I am still recovering and now I can run a bit. I am a bit scared of starting again. Out of fear of injury or it is just triggering, knowing how I was before and how I am now...
Knowing I can run fast was very empowering. I knew if someone threatened me, I could probably outrun them made me feel confident. Now, it is a new reality... this gives me a lot of food for thought.
I also love birds! Amazing photo!
Thank you.
A colleague of mine on the Safety Team always says "I train in self-defense so I don't have to run." She hates running, but has learned skills to deter an attack, or fight back if an attack is not preventable.
Wonderful lessons and bits of wisdom you picked up along your runs, Christine! And I love the animal sights along the way, too. Thank you for sharing them with us!
Animals are THE BEST!
I run 3x / week and fiercely guard that in my schedule. Nature's best anti-depresssant / anti-anxiety med, with only positive effects!
@Dr Christine DiBlasio - So interesting! I run so I don’t have to think, in a way. Running has become my way of moving outside difficult emotional thinking that at times isn't the best for me. I can find some of that with hiking too, but not in quite the same way that running brings. What struck me further was how you wove self-defense into something broader than physical safety: listening to your body, trusting intuition, and letting movement free the mind as forms of self-preservation. Your point about neuroception made me smile :) - that our primitive systems scan for danger long before the thinking brain catches up. Ain't that the truth! It reminded me how often we override those signals instead of respecting them more consistently. And I love how you framed running as self-defense for the soul, not about speed or how well we do it, but about honoring the body’s wisdom.
Thank you! Great piece.
Yes, it frees us from one type of thinking so that we can be more creative and process in an entirely different way. It’s works for me as I am not struggling to solve a problem, but then….boom…ideas come that I would never have thought of otherwise. Some are great. Some, well…let’s just leave that be.
Thanks for your comment.
neuroception...now I have a term for it
"if the hair on your arms or the back of your neck stands up, pay attention. it's a mountain lion and you're being stalked"
that was part of my training 30 years ago as a backcountry ranger
in the 30 years prior I had learned to trust my gut
then I added my hair
thank you for reminding us how smart our parts are
Our parts are brilliant in their quest to keep us safe, especially if we learn to listen.