I never, ever thought I would use these two words for my recovery period, and granted, I am three weeks post-surgery today, so I have a loooonggg way to go (and likely a lot of setbacks), but as of right now:

Instead of the down and depressed mood that I think most friends and family thought I would be in...

Instead of the twitching-to-get-going that friends and family thought I would be experiencing...

Instead of the disordered eating behavior button that I thought I would push...

I am...loving it.

Yep.

Somehow, I am really enjoying this period of progression. I am appreciating every step of the development. I am in awe of my body and how it is healing.

Seriously, I find myself lovingly staring at my Achilles on a daily basis. How did it go from being cut with a knife all the way through to the bone, and somehow it already looks almost healed from the outside and I can feel the repair and rebuilding happening on the inside each day?

I also love not seeing a giant bump on the back of my heel anymore.

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Where in the past, all that would have occupied my mind would have been how much fitness I was losing, how my muscles were wasting away, and how life is just not fair...

I have been admiring my body and appreciating this life I live.

Where in the past, I would have been pushing the boundary of what I could get away with, how much more I could add...

I have been truly listening to my body and what it needs, stopping when my gut says "That is enough," and enjoying being in the gym with my strength coach as he figures out ways to prep my body to return to walking (and then running), as quickly as possible.

I have celebrated building up from 30 to 35 to 40 minutes on the stationary bike (and Precision electrolytes taste delicious while we are entering this humid and hot season).

And yes, to be honest, one of my biggest concerns was whether I would slip back into bad habits with food. Without any exercise, would I start controlling and restricting again, for fear of gaining weight or of my body changing?

I have been intentional with my food, but from a loving and compassionate stance. I still have and enjoy the foods that may not be as nutritionally dense, but I also love giving my body foods that I know will give it the greatest ability to repair itself.

Repair itself it has...funny how that happens. Good sleep and good food work wonders; imagine that ;)

Of course, it is not always that simple. I would have given almost anything to sleep well in my elite years, but insomnia simply did not allow me to. I also controlled my food with good intentions, however misguided and clouded they were by the end.

This process has been a beautiful example for me to see how much I have grown, how much more respect I have for myself as a human and for my body, and a reason to be proud.

That is not to say there won't be real low moments, or moments where I do go back to those old patterns, but for now, I am proud of myself, and want to do my best to keep moving in a direction that is best for the Tina I want to be.

This week on the Running For Real podcast...

Here's the official description:

Cheering on others as they pursue their goals means more to Lorna Mann than her own accomplishments. It’s a mindset that she attributes to the encouragement of Charlie Dark and the Run Dem Crew. Now she mentors others, helping them to discover their full potential.

Here's the real deal:

I met Lorna in November 2022 at an Allbirds event I hosted, and immediately fell in love with her spirit. As I admired her through social media, I could not believe how supportive she was of other people (especially women), in the most pure and genuine way. Honestly, I was envious of it. How did she get to be so wholehearted about it? I know that I am supportive of others, but I still sometimes have to force myself with some people. She just seemed to give love with absolutely no expectation of anything in return. I wanted to be like Lorna in that way; how could I learn from her?

And then in April 2023, running past her in London was one of my favorite moments at the marathon (and provided one of my favorite photos ever).

Our energy was so good, Lululemon used it in their recap video.

This sums up what Lorna does for other humans, and if you were someone who felt like you didn't fit in in school, or if you want to be more supportive of others, you should come listen.

Has Costa Rica always been on your lifetime bucket list?

Mine too, and now we can go together with Aire Libre. As a friend of mine, you can use code TINAMUIR to get 10% off. I would love to explore with you this November!

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I have started a Medium account to share sustainability and environmental thoughts that intersect with the running community. As always with me, these are not extremes, and I think that above all, you will find them compassionate and forgiving towards your own imperfections as someone who cares about the planet we live on. I will add here as I have thoughts, but if you want to be updated, be sure to give me a "follow" on there.

This is really cool; kudos to Brooks for supporting Vanessa (her episode here) and her Game Changers program.

“Things that don't turn out the way you want are disguised to be the best turning points of your life.”
― Hiral Nagda

Thanks to our partner, Precision Fuel & Hydration

The bike is about to be my best friend this summer as I build up my cycling volume (and mostly, my tolerance of just how long I can handle being on the stationary bike), while my running slowly comes into the picture. I know the critical importance of electrolytes during these hot and humid summer months, so I have been dilligent with taking electrolytes on the bike, but even before that, for the past three months I have found that my body feels best when I start my day (even before my AG1) with a PH 1000 tab in a glass of water, delaying my coffee for a few hours.

If you are not sure which concentration level you need or how many gels you should be taking, go check out Precision's free fuel and hydration planner here.​

I am interested to see if I enjoy cycling by the end of this period; maybe I will end up a triathlete (I am still skeptical!) or maybe I will just see how beneficial it is as a cross training tool and keep it in there. One thing I do know though, my Precision gels have followed me right over to cycling. They taste great, go down nicely, and I have this bonus period to use to build up my stomach to handle more gels in an hour. The better my stomach can handle more carbs in an hour, the better I will do in my running once I am back to full force, I am confident of that.

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Be kind to one another, yourself, and this beautiful planet of ours.

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