“I am this trail. I am these trees. I am this rain. I am this breeze”.
These are the words I would repeat in my mind in an effort to take the pain in my knee away!
I was at about mile 2 of the Tough Topanga 10K when my Tensor Fasciae Latae seized up and made my knee throb in pain. This is a hard, tendinous muscle and when it’s tight, the knee tracks incorrectly.
I knew that it was simply a tight tendon and I could calm it down later–I was determined to finish the race without walking, so I kept running through it.
I decided, with all I’ve learned about the power of the mind, I would put this to the test!
As a hiking guide, I tell this tip to many people who are having a hard time getting up the hill. The mind chatter can sometimes take you down and, I’ve discovered, there is a way up and around all that discouraging chatter!
Instead of focusing on the pain, I turned my attention to the present moment and began my mental mantras to keep me there.
I AM THIS TRAIL
I AM THESE TREES
I AM THIS RAIN
I AM THIS BREEZE
I finished the run with ease. Sure, I still had some pain but I didn’t feel it while I was running.
Fast forward about 2 months later and 20 miles up the coastline, I’m training a client at the Malibu Gym when one of the members asks, “hey Tara, did you run the Tough Topanga 10K back in May?”
YES I DID.
He continued, “I was the person at the finish line clicking all the times. Of all the people I saw cross that finish line, you looked absolutely EUPHORIC–truly at EASE.”
Wow, how about that!
Even though I was in pain, I was able to take myself to my only point of power and be fully present. I crossed the finish line looking euphoric and serene because I was in a vortex of energy in its most powerful form–the present moment.
There is something so amazing when you live in the present moment. Magic and miracles happen there, I’m going to be hanging out HERE more often!
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