I am a cheater. And everyone in my bootcamp knows it now. Because yesterday, I brought my bicycle to bootcamp. And while everyone else ran (jogged, or walked) from place to place, I hopped on my bike and coasted! Sometimes I didn't even need to pedal!
I have whined to you all about my ankles before. As a very young dancer, still in my teens, I badly injured both ankles while performing a dance which involved 20 minutes of non-stop jumping. Because I was young and foolish, I never thought for a second that this was an unrealistic demand. I also lacked the type of excellent training I would later receive in order to be able to jump and land correctly, without excess stress to my ankles. The end result: multiple layers of lumpy, permanent scar tissue on my Achilles tendons which causes chronic tendonitis. Running is about the most painful activity due to the repetitious impact.
So I have been struggling at bootcamp. I have been attempting to change my running gait. I read a book on barefoot running, but I have been too chicken to run around the park without any shoes. I have tried to land lightly on the balls of my feet. But I always end up in pain.
Two weeks ago, as I was struggling my way back to our pavilion at bootcamp, I turned to a student and said, "I need to get a Segway!" She laughed. And I laughed. And then my mind clicked over onto other methods of transportation involving wheels. Some of which I already owned. And I knew I had stumbled onto the answer.
Now, I don't care if I am a cheater. Because running just doesn't work for me. It is not a cop out. I know this because I have been trying to run for the past two years. I do not believe it is worth injuring my ankles or possibly rupturing an Achilles tendon. And let me tell you: riding that bike yesterday was a little slice of heaven! I got a cool breeze on my skin. I got a tiny bit of rest between bootcamp stations. And when I arrived in each location, I felt HAPPY! Not like I had been beaten and abused.
I invite you to do some brainstorming about the parts of your own life which you are slogging through. The parts that make you cringe with dread. Those painful places. Perhaps a bicycle is available to you and you have just never realized it!
I have whined to you all about my ankles before. As a very young dancer, still in my teens, I badly injured both ankles while performing a dance which involved 20 minutes of non-stop jumping. Because I was young and foolish, I never thought for a second that this was an unrealistic demand. I also lacked the type of excellent training I would later receive in order to be able to jump and land correctly, without excess stress to my ankles. The end result: multiple layers of lumpy, permanent scar tissue on my Achilles tendons which causes chronic tendonitis. Running is about the most painful activity due to the repetitious impact.
So I have been struggling at bootcamp. I have been attempting to change my running gait. I read a book on barefoot running, but I have been too chicken to run around the park without any shoes. I have tried to land lightly on the balls of my feet. But I always end up in pain.
Two weeks ago, as I was struggling my way back to our pavilion at bootcamp, I turned to a student and said, "I need to get a Segway!" She laughed. And I laughed. And then my mind clicked over onto other methods of transportation involving wheels. Some of which I already owned. And I knew I had stumbled onto the answer.
Now, I don't care if I am a cheater. Because running just doesn't work for me. It is not a cop out. I know this because I have been trying to run for the past two years. I do not believe it is worth injuring my ankles or possibly rupturing an Achilles tendon. And let me tell you: riding that bike yesterday was a little slice of heaven! I got a cool breeze on my skin. I got a tiny bit of rest between bootcamp stations. And when I arrived in each location, I felt HAPPY! Not like I had been beaten and abused.
I invite you to do some brainstorming about the parts of your own life which you are slogging through. The parts that make you cringe with dread. Those painful places. Perhaps a bicycle is available to you and you have just never realized it!
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