W19 Thursday

Moderate bike Done 1 hour 15 min  HR109-129 100% complete

I had an aha moment on my ride this morning. (Will post photo I took of another pheasant later). Garmin lets you add a category to any event you upload - training, race, recreation, etc.    I thought about how I feel when I add a recreational activity and compared it to a "training" event.      What's the difference? Intention? Purpose? Effort? Degree of enjoyment? Degree of physical benefit?

In my imagination, I can make the Bustinskin Event Bigger and Heavier with my thoughts.  I can make training an "obligation" - a grind.   I can make every morning a study in fear of falling behind. Or an exercise in joy and recreation.

This morning while riding, I played What if? What if I hadn't signed up for this exciting event in September? Would I still be riding in the bright sunshine listening to bird song, startling the deer? Would I see these new flowers? Witness the colour changes on the new leaves on the trees?  Spot the gaggle of goslings out for a morning swim.   Come upon clutches of new bunnies grazing in the morning sun? (they're really tiny!)

I've always wanted to exercise an hour a day - I read somewhere that an hour of daily exercise stimulates positive brain chemistry that lasts for 24 hours. To maintain the positive mental effect, you have to move your body daily.  Literally, we're designed to be moving beings, not sedentary.

I concluded that having a long-term goal is good to get me out of bed in the morning and to get moving. At the same time, I don't want to lose sight of the pleasure from the daily activities themselves.   The event in September will be one day.  Preparation will take days and days, strung together to condition and improve my body and mind to perform at a very high level. At a peak or flow state level.  That's exciting!

I decided all my training from now on will be Recreation and that part of my deliberate learning will be to practice the flow state, looking for beauty and expressing gratitude with every activity.  I can give myself a mini-vacation every morning, frequently during the day, in the evenings!  Whenever I want.


(edited to add book reference - I read about the body-brain chemstry relationship in Spark! The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain)