Belinda Kissack

I don’t know a lot about “Karma”, but my basic understanding of it is best described by “what comes around goes around”. I often think of it directly, if I do something nice for you, you will be more likely to do something nice for me later.  Occasionally, it works more distantly as well. If I help out a stranger, a stranger is likely to help me out when I need it.

So back in December, I was surprised by my own experience with Karma and Inspiration. I woke up one morning, thought about my day and remembered that I was invited to a retirement celebration for a previous coworker of mine from ten years ago. While I was eating my breakfast, I looked at my inspirational quote for the day that I receive on-line and came across this one.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

-William Arthur Ward

After reading the quote, I decided to say a few words at the retirement. I know there were other workers who had more stories and could have said many other great things, but I decided that day, that I wouldn`t keep my gratitude a secret. During my presentation, my knees shook with nerves more than usual, but I persevered. So it seemed very ‘Karmic’ a couple of days later when I was presented with an award by the running club I belong to for “most inspirational”.

I was shocked and at the same time extremely honoured to receive such an award. I noticed a lot of other names on the list that had received the award before me and I couldn’t believe that I belonged there with all of the others who I believe are inspirational. Admittedly, I love to read inspiring stories, I look for inspiration in all that I do, and find inspirational stories in the various people that I meet.  

One day I was running 3 – 3 km laps around a neighbourhood with the running group. I had stopped for a quick bathroom break so fell behind the group by a few minutes. While I was running my second lap, there was a lovely lady standing in the middle of the road. She offered me roses that she had cut from her own garden.  I thought what a beautiful gesture, I wasn’t sure at first if I should take the roses because I didn’t know if they would get broken, but then decided that it was too nice a gesture to give up. So she put one of the roses in one hand, and handed me another… to give to my children. I thanked her and carried on running with a beautiful rose in each hand. A few hundred meters up the road, there was a lady being pushed in a wheelchair by her husband.  As I approached the couple, the lady’s eyes widened in amusement. I slowed down and offered her one of the roses. She thanked me very much for the rose. At the end of that lap, I offered the other rose to my running coach. On the final lap, the original lady with the roses was gone, but I saw the lady who I had given the rose to and who had been in the wheel chair, only now she was walking. She told me the rose I had given her, had inspired her to get up out of the wheel chair and walk. I assume she had been recovering from an injury and did not experience a miracle. None the less, she was motivated to work a little harder that day than any other.

Is inspiration karmic or contagious? I don’t know, but it feels good both giving and receiving.

Belinda Kissack is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Canadian Certified Counsellor in Duncan, BC who works with individuals, couples and groups. Belinda enjoys working with clients who are making healthy changes in their lives, from people looking to raise their self-esteem, improve their confidence, see themselves differently, and improve basic communication and problem solving skills. When she is not in her office she can be found riding and running in the Cowichan Valley or enjoying the brand new Cowichan Aquatic Centre.

To book an appointment with Belinda, please call 250-710-9972 or e-mail her at kissack@shaw.ca.

The link back to her website is www.belindakissack.com.

I went for a long run today (20 km). My first long run since November and wasn’t sure how well it would go. I have been running everyday for the last 25 days, very short mileage and wasn’t sure how well it would prepare me for my long run. My challenge started as a friend of mine’s challenge who succeeded in running everyday for 100 days. I had only been a run 2 – 3 times per week runner myself, so didn’t entertain the challenge at first. Since his challenge started and ended, I changed my way of thinking about my running and made a few minor technical changes and voila, here I am at day 25 of my 100 day challenge.  

My plan called for a short run today, but when I saw that the substantial amount of snow that we had received over the last three weeks was finally disappearing, and the sun was happily shining, I decided to go for a long run. Boy, had I missed my long runs. My runs are called picnic runs. On my picnic runs, I bring my favorite gatorade and protein bar, run for nine minutes and walk for one until I`ved reached my desired distance soaking up the scenary along the way.

While I was out running, my mind drifted, which it often does while I am out picnic running or riding. While out, my thoughts led me to recall that over the last six months on three different occasions I decided that I needed a plan.

The first occasion that I realized I needed a plan was during my Marathon in October when my original plan of running fairly quickly began to fall apart at 29 km of 42 km. As I became more and more fatigued and fought the desire to quit, or walk more, I realized in the moment that I needed to change my plan to something that I could live with and feel good about. I think my decision at the time was to slow my pace a bit and take slightly longer walk breaks but not give in to walking more frequently. There have been times June 2004 (1/2 Ironman Race) when I began running for one minute and walking for one minute because that was all I could manage. Once I started my new plan, I once again felt confident that I could tackle this feat.

The second time in the last six months where I found solace in having a plan was while out running on a mountain I am somewhat familiar with. It is a very small mountain but there is one section that confuses me everytime I get to it. I was amazed that for a few minutes I felt completely lost, my pace slowed and I was nearly paralyzed. I realized that the fear of being lost was the most crippling sensation. I thought to myself. “I need a plan.”. I decided I would follow the trail in one direction for several minutes and if I didn’t find relief I would re-evaluate the plan at that point. Well, as soon as I had a plan, I was able to pick up my pace again. At the time I thought, “Boy it really helps having a plan, I have gone from paralysis to problem solving…to finding my way again.” I was happy that the plan worked. Without the plan, I may have wandered around in a state of panic and not remembered which way to go. Having the plan, helped me keep my focus and ability to navigate the woods.

The third time I heard myself think, “I need a plan” was during Ironman training in the last month. I had a vague plan all along since August when I signed up for the race. My original plan was to train hard for the fall, take training down a notch during December when the weather is less than desirable and we are busy with holiday socializing, then ramping up the training again in January. When I got to January though, I realized I wasn’t clear about what “ramping it up” would look like. I have lots of training plans in my head from reading about Ironman training, watching my husband train for 6 ironman races, and racing 1/2 iron races myself, so the information is there, but I quickly realized that with heavy training comes a sense of confusion. It is easy to say, “Well I trained hard yesterday so I’ll take it easy today, and there are other days when I tell myself I am hardly training when in fact I will have been to the gym, for a bike ride and a run. It is easy to lose perspective. There are also difficulties with intensities. “Should I go hard or easy today”. “I feel tired”. Is it from overtraining, lack of training, poor nutrition or lack of sleep? There are lots of questions and some would suggest a coach for this analysis. What I did was found an Ironman Training plan. So far, the training is much easier than one I would have built for myself, but I have found comfort in referring to a plan. When I am tired, I just look at the plan for the day and take it from there. It doesn’t ask me if I’m tired, or let me give it excuses. It provides guidelines to collect hard data (resting heart rate, heart rate drift etc), to determine if I am overtraining. It takes out the guessing and over analyzing – which I have been known to do on occasion. So for now, I have a new plan for the next 32 weeks, which I plan to follow until I decide it’s time for a new plan which I will determine if I find I am not getting the results I expect to be getting with the plan.

I often use triathlon as a metaphor for life. I know that training with a plan is very useful and effective and also know from experience and with working with clients, that having a life plan is also extremely effective. Sometimes it is necessary to revamp the plan, re-examine goals and make sure that the plan you are following helps you get what you want in your own life! I will leave that for now, perhaps I will write more about life planning another time. 

Belinda Kissack is a Registered Clinical Counsellor and Canadian Certified Counsellor who offers counselling to couples and individuals in the Cowichan Valley and beyond and loves the sport of triathlon. She can be reached at 250-710-9972 and her office is located at 331 St. Jubilee Street, Duncan BC.

www.belindakissack.com kissack@shaw.ca