Pressure For Perfection.

A few runs ago I started to feel pain in my right knee. So naturally the next time I went out for a run I put some heat rub on it and braced myself for the burning that I was going to feel during the 16k stretch. During my run I noticed that everytime I passed by a citizen I would have an urge to pick up my pace as if my knee wasn’t on fire (much like those ads where you see a secretary with her wrists up in flames– that’s actually how it feels) and that life couldn’t be better for me. Why do we always have an urge to not let people see that we are human and we all have flaws every now and then? I’m reading the book “Eat, Pray, Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert right now and many chapters ago Elizabeth Gilbert talked about how we always let our ego get in the way. She couldn’t be more right. Why do we care how others perceive us? And why can’t we just be happy with who we are instead of who we want to be or who we will be in the near future?  If we are constantly building up all of this pressure inside our heads there is only one way all that pressure is going to come out… in my mind it looks much like an 80’s cartoon with a lot of explosives and keywords flashing like “SHABLAMO!”
Running was always my way of relaxing and getting out of pressure. How come all of a sudden I am starting to get worked up about not pushing myself far enough? I know I am– without a doubt, I am. The next day I went out and told myself that this was just going to be a fun, easy run. No pressure. And it was a nice, easy run. (Minus the knee pain that started happening again– I think my shoes have hit their last ends at just over 800km. They had a good life!) It’s a mind game. If you tell yourself that there isn’t any pressure– there won’t be. You’re mind tells your organs what to do- minus the heart. Funny thing that body! So, if you are telling yourself that you aren’t good enough well, chances are you aren’t good enough. If you just let yourself go everything becomes so much easier. Yep, that’s easier said than done. But when you find a way to get past your ego, amazing things can happen. Dr. Seuss said it best:

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss
Only you know how far you push yourself, how far you’ve come and how far you want to go. Be true to yourself, follow your heart and there is nowhere that you can’t go.
The Rock it. Playlist
Wake Up- Arcade Fire
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa- Vampire Weekend
Girls and Boys In Love- The Rumble Strips
For The Girl- The Fratellis
Little Secrets- Passion Pit
The World Is New- Save Ferris
Different People- No Doubt
Use Your Love- Katy Perry
When I Grow Up- Garbage
Don’t Wanna Go- Crowned King
King For A Day/Shout (Live)- Green Day
Dead Disco- Metric
When You Were Young (Victoria Secret Remix)- The Killers
Magnificent (Fred Falke Full Club Remix)- U2
Last Night- The Strokes
Have I Been A Fool- Jack Penate
You, Me, and the Bourgeoise- The Submarines
Being Here- The Stills
Seven Nation Army- The White Stripes
Bang a Gong (Get It On)- T. Rex
Rich Girls- The Virgins
Run- Stephen Fretwell
Cool Down/Stretching
Always Love- Nada Surf
Come On Get Higher (Live)- Matt Nathanson
Slow Dancing In a Burning Room (Live)- John Mayer
Stats of the Run
Distance: 16.04 km
Pace: 5:16 min/km
Calories: 674