What We Don't Naturally Do

As uncomfortable as it may be, it's often productive to do the things that don't come naturally to us. That's how we get good at them, right?! No one is inherently good at all of the things they do. Well, maybe Shaun White; but the rest of us need to practice awkward processes before becoming pros.

My recent adventures in crocheting definitely fall in this category. After many online tutorials (and the discovery of Lucille) I finally found a stitch that I can comprehend and reproduce... which unfortunately results in the tightest, curliest piece of "fabric" that I can imagine. Despite my current domestic woes, I have faith that practice makes progress and I will eventually create something soft, snuggly, and pleasant. But cross your fingers for me, just in case!

I started thinking about this topic during my run today, which had me doing exactly the opposite of what my body does on its own. To be honest, I didn't even notice my routine until I tried to do something different. The short of it is: with the help of a friend, I have a new running plan. The goal is to get faster because I'm slow. Today's planned run was simple, 2 miles at an easy pace (believe it or not, slower than I usually run), followed by 3 miles at a faster than usual pace, then one last easy mile.

I already knew that my fastest miles are usually at the beginning and end of a run, but I had no idea how much I slowed down in the middle until I kept track of each mile. I came in a minute faster per mile than I was supposed to in the first two miles but it was still an easy pace so I'm thinking, "I'm so ahead of the game!" Then I thought I picked it up for mile 3. Let me tell you, so. much. slower. Mile 4 was even slower than 3! I was working harder and still going slower.

All of this is to say that I had forgotten how helpful it is to throw a wrench in your own routine, take a look at what happened and then move forward from there. Sometimes it's nice to get un-stuck in your ways.