Starting Slow

Lately, I have succumbed to the feeling of "too much to do and not enough time to do it."  I rush around like crazy at a constant, maddening pace.  Trying to accomplish everything in an hour or in school moving from subject to subject, trying to get it all in because there is so much to cover.

It's not working.

While I was in Chicago, I visited an elementary school that took itself from very low achieving to very high achieving.  In 2005, the school ranked last in the schools of their district and in 2006 they placed second out of 21 schools.  Yet, when I visited this school the atmosphere was so calm and relaxed.  Students went from class to class at an easy, yet directed, pace.  When you saw classes at work, the teacher seemed focused and calm.  So how did they do it?  From what I gather, they split up work, collaborated together and gave themselves the time to make change. 

So now, my new attitude is taking it slow.  I applied this to my running this morning.  Lacing up my sneakers and pulling on my turquoise Nike jacket, I had no sense of wary anticipation, even though I had not been running in four months (yes, four!).  My only goal was to run, no matter how slow I was.  In fact, the slower the better.  While cruising my neighborhood, I kept a close eye on my Garmin to monitor my pace. My goal: a 12-minute mile (gasp!).  12 minutes?  When I stopped running months ago, I was close to a 10-minute mile.  However, I also remember relishing the end of each run, not because I was proud of my accomplishment, but because I was thankful that it was over.

This morning, I ran 2.48 miles in 28 minutes, but I enjoyed it.  It was doable and I liked jamming to Lady Gaga on my ipod.  Plus, it is really not that big of a mileage difference.  Tomorrow, I plan for a snail's pace again and I look forward to it.  Because who cares if I can do 3-miles in 30 minutes if I hate every step?