You know how it feels when Friday finally happens and you feel deflated after a very long week. The first part of the weekend just disappered and then you wake up Sunday morning, go for a long run and life slowly comes back in a new light and then it’s Monday. Today is Monday and it feels like Friday. One full week passed since I woke up, 18 hours ago. Before 7.30am I got 5 shots in my knee and by 8.30 I felt pretty good, numbed up and on my way back home for a second breakfast. The day passed and… the numbing wore off… it’s been a long week and it’s only Monday.

I’m going back in time to the run yesterday. I went out big, I knew it was going to be the last long run for a while. For all you runners and mountain bikers out there, trail time is usually thinking time. It’s the time when you solve all your problems, figure out the next steps in life, write the next two chapters in the book you have hidden in your drawer (or on your OneDrive). You empty your mind in a good way. Lately my mind has been empty from start. I had to set up point of interests, basically stop and reset my mind when I saw a check point for the orienteering course. It’s back to basics people. I am focusing on my favorite things, trying to reset the brain and think positive. Pain sucks, it takes over your brain and it creeps up to new places connected to the painful body part. The brain cells slowly crumble, and your frontal lobe goes numb.

After the first lap, 35 minutes in, I felt so disappointed of the non-existing intellectual activity, so I set up thinking goals. It started out with favorite podcasts and I tried to find one that I could listen to and follow. I tried two different languages but they both could not connect my synapses. (I am very excited that Geoffrey Zakarian announced that he started a podcast but it’s not out just yet.)

Second lap I turned to playlists and nothing could keep my interest up more than a few songs that I ended up playing probably 20 times on repeat. And I’m grateful that no one else could hear my choice of music. I might give you a sample at the end of this post, but not yet sure I am that brave. When one of these songs come up over the Sonos at home I get looks. I got a nice comment the other day that I’m turing in to an 85-year-old. I have a nice mix of opera, Dire Straits, Sting, Duran Duran, Louis Armstrong, Edoardo Vianello, Robyn, Diddy, Uggla, Billy Joel…

Third lap and heavy breathing. I suddenly hear a woodpecker and I decided stay with it for a while. An older gentleman stood beside me for a good part of the time and we started whispering. We whispered about the bird, trees, bushes and then flowers, we didn’t want to scare off the bird. We talked about his favorite tree and spot in the park. I knew exactly what he meant, I usually stop there on my runs. He asked me if I had a favorite flower and our chat turned in to a very long conversation. I have three, it’s too hard to pick one. Peonies, dark pink. The smell is out of this world and the way they bloom. Tiny spray roses. Light pink or white. My grandmother had a spot where she kept a few bushes and from what I can remember they were always in full bloom. And crisp tulips, big bouquets of tulips that haven’t really opened in bloom. He liked my choices; he could almost smell the peonies when we talked. So, there you go. Facts about what is hiding in my brain.

Fourth lap, and I think the elevation changed, it’s up all the way. Two hours of running in the mud and life looks brighter. And by now I had a game plan. I knew exactly what to do with my life and first thing was to eat lunch, drink coffee and take a nap, so I guess it all worked out for the best.