Inconceivable!

Two things happened today.

This:

....and then, this:

I ran 100m at a 5:30 minute mile pace. Let me repeat that for those in the back. I RAN A 5:30 MINUTE MILE PACE! Okay, okay, it was for 100m BUT IT WAS A 5:30 MINUTE MILE PACE. 

Before we go on, let me tell you about my friend Derek. Derek is a Serious Runner. Derek recently shared with his audience that he had run a 5:40 minute mile the other day. Derek is the epitome of a long distance runner, and even Derek was even surprised that Derek completed a 5:40 minute mile. Again, Derek is the epitome of a runner. Long, lean, young guy....yeah, I'd totally hate him if he wasn't one of the nicest people on the planet. But I digress. I was super proud of my friend Derek when he accomplished this feat. After all, he's a Serious Runner, a Real Runner, a professional pacer and running coach. Good for him! 

So, when my exhausted, Non-Serious, Non-Runner, short-legged body reached the finish line of the 100m at the track this afternoon, I looked down expecting/hoping to see a pace somewhere around 8:00 minute mile. After all, I had RUN. Like, two deeps breaths for the entire duration, "OMG WHAT AM I DOING? WHO DOES THIS FOR FUN???" Running. Full sprint. The first time, 6:26, I was shocked. The second time...well, let's just say Derek got a couple of awfully excited text photos after that. 

This. Totally. Happened.

I guess the point of my ramble (aside from disbelief) is that if I can run like that, even for 100m, anything is possible. 

Maybe even 200m at the same pace. 😱

(Be sure to check out Derek's blog over at mypaceracing.com for Real Advice from a Serious Runner.  You won't regret it.)

Loneliness and the Red Balloon

This is a story about a red balloon.

Or maybe it's a ping-pong ball. I'm not really sure. 

The red balloon is surrounded by yellow happy faces. Red is alone in a sea of yellow.

Red is not really "alone" - he's surrounded by others - but it's possible he's feeling lonely.

Or not. Inanimate objects might not care if they're surrounded or not. Who knows.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loneliness is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety and depression. Worrying that others don't see me, feeling different or "othered" from the crowd around me, not seeing what everyone has to be so happy about, envying their carefree spirit, etc. etc. etc. 

And that's just on the train ride to work. 

Social isolation refers to an objective state in which we have limited social connections and interactions. Loneliness, on the other hand, is an entirely subjectivestate, in which we feel socially and/or emotionally disconnected from those around us. As such, socially isolated people are not necessarily lonely, and lonely people are not necessarily socially isolated. (Read more about that here.)

So let's talk about the Red Balloon. 🎈