… or the solar plexus as the center of momentum.

A few weeks ago I started running again and it feels great. Lots of fresh air and birds noises. Chirping, squeaking and yelling at each other. Great.

What I do looks probably extremly daft, because it is not running. It´s more like walking at a tighter pace. I feel pretty awkward if people are around. Men with dogs on the leash and women with strollers – staring. Welcome to the freak show.

But the energy rush, drinking lot´s of warm water afterwards and the refreshing shower is worth it. I didn´t know how much I missed it, because I didn´t go for regular intensive walks in years. I was not motivated enough and I had the perfect excuse. The orthopedist said running is not good with a heel spur in the left foot. But right now i am not interested in following this advice. Five kilometers twice a week is not that much, but it´s enough to get me pumped.

So I hope it´s not that compromising on the joints and the spur. I can´t feel pain there while running, because my attention is in the belly area. From a viewers perspective, running or walking looks like it´s a sport you are mainly doing with your legs. But that´s not true for me. Feet, ankles, knees, legs, hips are involved, they provide the necessary stability on the ground. But my main focus is on the torso. The solarplexus determins my forward momentum and the lungs are responsible for my speed. If I want to go faster I increase the intensity of my oxygen intake and my legs will follow, not the other way around.

By the way, if other people can hear you stomping on the ground from miles away, you are not tender enough. You need to engage your whole foot to distribute the weight and softly absorb the impact. Whatever, I am not a sport expert. I am just trying to empower myself to go out for a run – more often.