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Have you ever experienced this? Putting one foot in front of the other, time after time – beginning to sense exhaustion coming on? Feeling like you just can’t keep moving forward. Then, all of a sudden – almost out of nowhere – everything changes. It all becomes easier. Everything starts to flow? Well, chances are you’ve just experienced getting your ‘second wind.’ In fact, this is such a well-known phenomenon, that we not only talk about ‘getting our second wind’ in regard to our physical activities, we also use it to describe experiences in our daily lives – like getting our ‘second wind’ in our work or in pursuing any of our personal goals.
As one example, the other day, I was out for a run on a perfectly crisp fall New Hampshire day. Leaves under my feet every few steps and clear blue skies, I couldn’t have asked for a better way to start my day. Then, about half-way through my run, I started to feel fatigued. My muscles tensed up, my breathing became heavy, and I thought it might be time to head back home. Then all of a sudden, I got a second wind. My adrenaline kicked in a little bit and my body responded to my fatigue so much so that I was able to complete my intended distance. It felt incredible, not only because I was able to complete the run, but because it reminded me that sometimes, we have to keep pushing in life, even when it gets tough, to accomplish our goals.
In the world of running, a second wind is physiologically used to describe the moment a distance runner, such as a marathoner or triathlete starts to lose their energy, but suddenly feels the energy to continue on. Doctors and researchers haven’t been able to truly figure out this phenomenon and its origins. Some contribute it to your body’s ability to regulate the build-up of lactic acid. Others suggest it’s your body switching from burning carbohydrates to burning fat. Yet the most substantive research and what seems to be most agreed upon by experts is that a second wind is not purely mental, a moment where our body tells us that in fact, we can accomplish what we set out to do.
During COVID, a family friend of ours came down with an almost fatal case of COVID. A ‘larger than life’ personality and incredible human all around whose life work is about building businesses and helping family and friends succeed, the virus almost took his life. His road to recovery was difficult as doctors diagnosed him with ‘Long COVID and the mental struggle became as difficult as the physical. As an entrepreneur, he wasn’t able to do much of what he loved because he’d become so fatigued with even the simplest of tasks. Then one day, he took a painting course at the suggestion of a friend. He immediately took to it and began painting almost every day. Painting became a second wind in many ways, a reminder of who he was at his core, that his diagnoses would not stop him from his own goals. Today, he’s successfully selling his art and sharing his story with the world.
So, whether it’s a run or finding a new calling, we each can accomplish what we set our minds to, it may just take a little belief in ourselves. And the faith that your ‘second wind’ is just about to arrive!
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