Today, after a terrible night's sleep and waking feeling exhausted, I took a day off to get myself on the right schedule before work's long days come looming. Aside from the 90minutes of "extra" sleep I had this morning, the most recuperative thing I've done today is to hop on the treadmill for a run. I decided to go for 3 miles at a steady 12.0mph. Nothing fancy. By the time I hit mile 2 my heart was pounding and I was focused on finding a steady rhythm for my breathing. In 3 counts, out 2 counts. Nope- not working. In two counts, out two counts. My heart rate quickened. In two counts, out one hard puff. Not quite right. Between miles 2 and 3 I struggled to figure out my breathing and my heart kept pounding along. And then something happened- I hit mile 3 and I kept going. And, in that moment, I smiled, my breathing slowed, and my heart (still pounding) became less frantic in its effort.
After 49 minutes and 4 miles finished, I took a slow 3 minute cool down. At my peak rate, my heart was about 168 beats per minute. Within no time I'd cooled down to 85 beats per minute and it just kept falling...
While stretching, I thought about my heart. There was something magical in paying attention to all the hard work my heart had done in that total 52 minutes of aerobic activity. I was proud of my heart. I was thankful for my heart. I felt protective of my heart- determined to take care of it so I could keep enjoying all of the activities that my heart helps me do. And, so I can continue to try new activities that push me and my heart further.
So thank you to every piece of that muscle tissue and fiber that makes up my heart.
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