I recently started running again at 10 weeks postpartum after taking significant time off during pregnancy and after delivering. While I am THRILLED to be starting back on this journey, it can be quite humbling. In my peak days, I trained for marathons, an Ironman 70.3, ran 40 plus miles a week, and started to really see my speed improve. Now, I carefully and slowly make my way through a 2-mile walk/jog jaunt. Some days are great! And some days are frustrating. It feels a little bit like starting over if you have ever been there before…maybe from an injury, or life got too busy, or you had a baby, or just fell out of love with running for a little while. That feeling of starting over can be a little defeating, but doesn’t have to be…

A few days ago, I picked up my copy of The Happy Runner, an all-time favorite read, to refresh my mind. I draw inspiration from fellow runners and coaches and love reading works of others. As I read, I often take notes, highlight, underline, and emphatically start scribbling down new ideas. Most of the books that I have read cover-to-cover will be decorated with the graffiti of my brain child ideas…many of which remain in their infancy never becoming a full-fledged adult but may be the catalyst I needed to finally implement a passion project. As I turned to the inside page, I saw the acronym B.A.R.K. in my own hand writing.

Be Aware, Resilient, & Kind. B.A.R.K.

I first read this book back in 2019 during a time when my world was sorta flipped upside down both personally and professionally. I was going through a separation, major changes were happening with my job, stability in general felt so distant and uncertain. I felt like in so many ways I was starting over. So how did I respond? I adopted Gimmick, a dog. Not just any dog. A mini-Australian Shepard dog. He was my “running buddy”/distraction from life…and man did he provide a distraction! He used to bark and bark and bark and bark! On a particularly ruff day (get it? ruff? like what a dog says? Ok, you get…I’ll move on!), I went for a run and thought about him barking as things are always just a little clearer when out for a run. I reminded myself that barking is his version of communicating his needs and I need to give him a little grace. When I returned, I picked up The Happy Runner and started reading chapter 3 “Power Yourself with Kindness”, when it hit me…I needed to be like Gimmick and B.A.R.K. when I was struggling! I needed to give myself a

Be Aware, Resilient, & Kind. B.A.R.K.

Let’s break this down…

Be Aware: Simply notice. Allow yourself to notice what you are feeling. Fight the urge to start throwing judgement at yourself and just be present in what you are experiencing in that moment. Just notice. Do not assign any judgement to what you uncover and instead approach it with curiosity. Like “huh, I didn’t know that was there.” Being aware is the first step to understanding. Once we know what we’re working with, we get to choose how to respond.

Be Resilient: According to the American Psychological Association, resilience is the process and outcomes of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging experiences. Build your toolkit on how to “bounce back”. It’s not about always about finding the silver lining or having the positive outlook, but instead being willing to take the hard day, get back up, and keep going. Being resilient looks different for all of us, but I will have a full reflection another day on what it means to me.

Be Kind: “Be Kind” does not mean greeting everyone with a smile and “how-do-you-do?”…although that is a nice thing to do so by all means, please proceed. However, in this instance “Be Kind” means extending that grace and kindness to yourself. Pause your judgement. Ask your inner critic to go on a break. Recognize you are doing the best you can with the information you have in the circumstance you are in. You are doing your best. Sometimes life happens, and we deserve to afford ourselves a little kindness.

Be Aware, Resilient, & Kind. B.A.R.K.

We go through so many seasons in our life…some filled with positive stressors (like having a baby!) and some filled with challenging stressors (like getting injured) but through it all, we deserve to give ourselves kindness. We deserve the opportunity for reflection and growth. We deserve the opportunity to B.A.R.K.! So, is my running where it was pre-pregnancy?? H-E-L-L NO! But that is OK! This season in my life, this next chapter is bringing me something beautiful. With every “starting-over” step I take, I’m taking it with a beautiful baby boy. With each breath searching for that “easy pace” (when none of it feels easy), I’m breathing in new life to my running journey and being given the opportunity to start fresh.

Be Aware, Resilient, & Kind. B.A.R.K.

It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always be fun to “start over” but taking time to pause, notice, remove judgement, and approach ourselves with curiosity and grace may give us something we did not expect to find amidst the adversity. Even in writing this very reflection I was reminded of the importance of B.A.R.K.ing. I missed my (self-imposed) deadline to finish this piece…and then I missed my second (self-imposed) deadline. I started to get down on myself and was letting imposter syndrome creep back in. But you know what? Life happens sometimes. And that is OK! It is all about finding the right balance in that moment. We do the best that we can with the information we have in the circumstance we’re in. And that will look different day-by-day (did the “day-by-day” Godspell song just pop into anyone else’s head? No? But it is now? You’re welcome. 😊 ).

Well, on that note (musical note?…I told you there would be a pun or two along the way!), I’m going to head out for a jog…or walk…or wog (walk/jog)…or whatever my body is telling me is right for this moment, and you better believe I will be B.A.R.K.ing the whole way!      

Run. Reflect. Repeat.