It’s become a habit when I come in from a run that my asthmatic lungs demand that I stretch out on the floor and stare at the ceiling for a couple of minutes. I learned early on in my life as a runner that I had to do this to give my heart and lungs time to recover.
I’ve stared at ceilings in university gyms, German apartments, DC houses, SC houses and apartments. It seems almost inevitable that every time I stare, I think about how many runs this is and whether my body is holding up like it used to.
It seems like the push that I’ve just put my body through allows me head to clear and allows me to reflect on the fact that yes, there will always be more work to do and yes I will always be “behind,” but my running time is something I need in order to function with the stressors that could envelope me.
We rush through life. We rush through our workouts. We rush through our cool downs.
And all that rushing reduces the heathy balancing act of pushing and relaxing.
And now it’s time to stare at the ceiling.