First of all, let me say that I love running. Of course, when you have to start a discussion with a disclaimer, it's kind of understood that you're going to say something a bit negative. Kind of like how some Southern women will say, "Bless her heart, but she doesn't know how to dress worth a darn!" Not that I've ever heard that before, of course. ;)
So anyway, I love running. Running is a component of my identity that I've had since I was 15, and I'm proud to be a runner. But to be honest, in the 17 years I've been running, there has very rarely been a run that I have gone on that doesn't start with an internal struggle, where the lazy part of my brain is saying things like, "One more cup of coffee!" Or, "You know, you really should just get that laundry done before you go for a run. Or maybe just don't go." And I've always considered myself an efficiently lazy person, so this is a real struggle for me. Nevertheless, I do go for that run. And I train for races, and I win them. (Okay, not really. I just wanted to say that. I came in third place in my age group once, though. There were only 4 of us in the age group, but hey! I have the t-shirt to prove it! ;). Even so, I still have that fight each time before I run.
But then. Then I'm out, and I'm running, usually with my wonderful running buddy of seven years, The Dog, and I'm breathing in deeply, running in cadence with my music or the sound of the birds or cars or water, and I feel deeply that I'm living, that this is what it means to move beyond the mundane on a daily basis, and that this is the gift I've been given when I fight that voice in my own head, and I simply run.
So anyway, I love running. Running is a component of my identity that I've had since I was 15, and I'm proud to be a runner. But to be honest, in the 17 years I've been running, there has very rarely been a run that I have gone on that doesn't start with an internal struggle, where the lazy part of my brain is saying things like, "One more cup of coffee!" Or, "You know, you really should just get that laundry done before you go for a run. Or maybe just don't go." And I've always considered myself an efficiently lazy person, so this is a real struggle for me. Nevertheless, I do go for that run. And I train for races, and I win them. (Okay, not really. I just wanted to say that. I came in third place in my age group once, though. There were only 4 of us in the age group, but hey! I have the t-shirt to prove it! ;). Even so, I still have that fight each time before I run.
But then. Then I'm out, and I'm running, usually with my wonderful running buddy of seven years, The Dog, and I'm breathing in deeply, running in cadence with my music or the sound of the birds or cars or water, and I feel deeply that I'm living, that this is what it means to move beyond the mundane on a daily basis, and that this is the gift I've been given when I fight that voice in my own head, and I simply run.
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