I went to a pilates class last night and despite the fact that it gets dark at 4pm and the temperatures are already near freezing, this act alone saved my night and provided the momentum to keep going. I got home made dinner and realized I still had some energy. I put on my big sleeping bag jacket, got Russ dressed and we went out for a night loop. On my loop, I called my best friend since we’ve been missing each other’s calls for what feels like weeks.
As we were talking, she said she could already feel the seasonal depression kicking in and it was bumming her out. Instead of going into problem solving mode which can be annoying at a time like that, I just listened to the ways that the cold, dark season was taking her under. In my own head, I was revisited by the ghosts of my past depressed seasons where I, too, felt the lack of sun and cold temps sucked the life out of me. I’m fortunate that Russ forces me to go outside multiple times a day for a walk and fresh air.
Later on, I came back with these thoughts still floating around in my head. I didn’t want to stay inside or feel like I’ve surrendered to a six month jail sentence. I watched a YouTube video about the science behind running and what it does for your mind and body. This isn’t new information, per se, but served as a good reminder that I can still run even if it’s cold outside. Running has been one of the best things I’ve implemented into my life and I don’t want to put it on hold for half a year.
Last February, I went running through the Tiergarten and once I got warmed up, it felt so good to be in nature breathing fresh air. Anyway, I guess I’m just trying to convince myself to get some running gloves and a warm base layer. It’s working so far.
As a final note, I put myself in the lottery for the Berlin marathon. I should hear something next week. I’ll run outside this winter either way but we’ll see what happens. Could be fun, who knows. . .