It’s been a rough couple of weeks now, but today that’s going to change.  First off I started my morning by turning the techno up and grabbing a full cup of coffee w/Poptart.  I signed up for The Dirty Dash in Eugene, of which I’m super excited about.  It’s part of what I need to get myself back on track.

When I was a senior in college I was going through a very rough patch.  My last fall term I didn’t show up to any of my classes during dead week.  I was severely depressed.  Much of it was related to, once again, family related stress (It’s an ongoing theme in my life).  To help get myself out of the slump I signed up for the 4-mile race of the Eugene Truffle Shuffle.  This would be the first time I had ever been a part of a running event, let alone trained to run 4 miles.  Signing up and the subsequent training for it, those two things helped significantly in extracting myself from my depression.

The Dirty Dash allows me a focal point.  The race itself is so varied I can train in a variety of ways.  After my very enjoyable trampoline fun on this past Saturday, I can make sure to include such experiences more in the future.  They’ll all help me with an obstacle course.  I can start rock climbing again, continue strength training exercises at home, and running/soccer/hiking/cycling on a regular basis.  Even working in my garden will help somewhat.

The best part?  I’m doing this for myself and because it sounds like waaaay to much fun.  Not to mention that proceeds go to charity and whatnot.      

Up Next Time: Self-prescribed stress prevention methods