Keeping It Up

The weather was gorgeous on Sunday as I sat on Bexhill seafront cheering for my husband as he competed in his first ever race - the Poppy Half Marathon in support of the Royal British Legion. The sky was a clear blue, the sun was shining, and the sea was calm but there was just enough of a nip in the air to remind you that it was definitely autumn.

My husband is now the proud owner of his first medal, a strong sense of achievement, and the motivation to enter more races in the future. I think he's a little bit crazy, but mostly I admire and support him for finding something he enjoys and wants to work at.

I wish I could run well. I wish I could run far. But the only "running" I ever do is "sprinting" through town because I am late for the train/bus/church/doctor's appointment. And I don't exactly relish those unladylike and mildly horrific moments in my life, which render me barely able to breathe or stand. Running is not for me.

Yesterday as I sat my desk at work, I watched the beautiful downland view become distorted by grey clouds and heavy rain. As it grew darker, and the office seemed to grow colder, I thought just how much I did not want to go the gym that evening. If only the weather had been more like it was in sunny Bexhill, I thought to myself. Maybe then I would be up for some exercise. Even though the gym is an artificially lit, uninspiring room full of mechanical machines and bodybuilders and svelte nymphs. What possible bearing can the weather have on that?

It was then that I knew that I had to go. That I had to brave walking in the freezing, lashing rain to get to the leisure centre. That I had to change out of my warm clothes into my gym gear and brace that initial blast of cold from the air con. That I had to work out between strangers who were fitter and more sprightly than me, whatever their age. If I didn't, just because of the weather, then I would risk falling into the trap of not going to the gym all winter. It would be a waste of money, and it would also mean that I'd given up too easily. And I am sick of my SAD enticing me to give up on everything all through the winter. Even though I generally keep going with all the things I've committed to, some things do suffer, and I knew that my gym sessions could easily become the first victim of 2012's Winter Blues onslaught.

No SAD, you have not won...yet. And I am determined that you won't. I will keep going to the gym. I may not run any marathons like my amazing husband, but I will keep up the cross trainer, the bike, the rower, and the weights, while I turn up the volume on my favourite music.

The gym isn't just a workout for my body, but for my brain. I get lots of thinking time in the gym so that when I leave my not only do I feel physically invigorated, but my head is clearer and I tend to sleep better, helping me to be a little more prepared for what the Winter Blues throw at me next.

My husband and his fellow competitors were blessed with a beautiful day for the Poppy Half. But had the weather been like it was the following day, they would have still run out, whether for personal achievement or just because they love running. If they can do that, I can keep going to the gym, come rain or shine, for personal achievement and just because I love the space it gives me in my head.

The above video is by Keane for 'Sovereign Light Cafe', filmed on Bexhill seafront. We got our pre-race teas from the cafe itself :) It's also a nice feel good tune, so thought I would share it.