So I just got back from 8 miles in the cold rain. There wasn’t a lot of joy on the roads
today. I daydreamed for a while about
running some trails on a warm sunny day with some friends, thoughts of work
kept intruding into my consciousness, I never really warmed up, my fingers were
numb for the whole run, and the battery on my iPod died about 15 minutes into
the run. It may have been the best run
I’ve had in months. You may be thinking
“This blogging running dude is nuts” to which I would reply, Welcome to my blog, you are obviously
new. Anyone who has spent any time here
at all knows I’m completely nuts.
So…why do I consider such a
miserable run one of my best ? Because
I’m chasing more than just a faster running time when I run. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love running
for it’s own sake and the joy that it brings, and I feel great when I set a new
personal best, but running to improve running is a little like teaching
students to get a PhD. If any of my readers
have a PhD, don’t worry, I’ll try not to confuse you, but going to school for a
doctorate, pretty much guarantees that you’re going to stay in school as a
professor. You enter the academic
equivalent of an endless loop. You
become a PhD to teach other students to get PhD’s so they can teach others to
get more PhD’s so they ….well, you get the idea. Running just to be a better runner doesn’t
make a lot of sense to me. Why not just
stop running and then it doesn’t matter if you’re a good runner.
Everyone has their own reasons for lacing them up and
pounding the pavement for miles on end when their sensible friends are still
sleeping, or lamenting the awful weather from the comfort of their homes. I run because it helps me enjoy myself. I have more energy, determination,
motivation, stamina, and am just generally in a better mood when I’m running on
a regular basis. It makes me healthier,
keeps my weight down, sets a good example for my kids, and allows me to be more
patient with them, and to require less patience from my wife. I’m sure I’m not easy to live with, but I
know running me is easier to deal with than non running me. I can usually leave the stress of my job out
on the roads and come back with a clear head, a few problems solved, and a new
way of looking at some things that might have been bothering me.
Running on a crappy day isn’t easy, but once you get out
there, and get as wet as you can possibly get, you start to feel kind of good
about it. You start to think to
yourself, I know a lot of people wouldn’t have gone out on a day like this. I might have a little more of something than
they do. Be it determination, or
dedication, or desire, or some other noun that begins with a “d” it’s nice to
know that you are at least in the middle of the bell curve for it. You shouldn’t feel too superior, but a
little self righteousness might be appropriate.
Then when you get to work and something is difficult, you can tell
yourself that you know you’ve got more of those “D-qualities” than a lot of
people and if anyone can get through whatever crisis you’re in, you can
too. The mental aspect of running is
harder on those bad days, so I think whatever mental benefits you get from a
run on a good day, you get more on a bad day.
The next time you have a situation that you think is going to be
difficult, you’ll hesitate a little less before you get started. When your friends and co workers get grumpy
because of the bad weather, you’re able to appreciate that you’re inside now
and have your run behind you. You know
that it sucks out there and you went anyway.
You should feel good about that, and feeling good is what it’s all
about.
Whatever you….
Just don’t stop running !
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