Running

As my alarm went off at 5:45AM on Saturday morning for me to begin my 20 mile run....there were very few things that I could say I loved about running.  Okay, lets be honest....there's NOTHING to love at 5:45AM.  The alarm blared as I scrambled to silence it.  Dogs...and husband growled as I moved the covers in the dark.  People ask if I ever have those negative thoughts that come into your mind that tend to keep people from doing things.  5:45AM is HAPPY HOUR for those kinds of thoughts.  "Am I seriously doing this?  Its the weekend....a 3 DAY weekend....go back to bed."  If I ever skip a day, particularly a day that is set aside to do a long run, I feel horrible about it later....so I wipe the sleep from my eyes and trade would-be guilt for grogginess and a pre-run bagel.  The sun is yet to rise, and here I am, putting in my headphones and taking that first step...

I do a great deal of thinking while I run.  Its true what "they" say...whoever they are.  It really does clear your head and helps you to know yourself better.  I first started really running (and when I say this, I mean running 3-5 days a week) and I felt like I didn't have a clue who I was.  I've been running for a few years now...and I'm not going to say I know myself now....who really does...but I've thought through some of the most difficult and exciting decisions while my feet pounded the pavement, and I truly believe I am better for it. 

As I was running this weekend, it occurred to me that running is one of the only sports, and possibly one of the only individual activities that can't be cheated.  In a time when athletes are "juicing" and singers are lip-sinking and politicians can't even type....running....is running. 

Becoming a good runner is simple in method, difficult in practice....because there are no short cuts.  You don't get there by birth right, or by pumping gasoline into your veins, or by cutting corners.  To run well.....all you have to do is run.  Seriously?!......seriously.  So simple.....but that simplicity can be intimidating. 

"How far should I go?  What shoes should I buy?  How fast should I run?  Whats the trick to going long distances?"  Well...there is no trick.  This the point where people stare back with doe eyes and drool at the corner of their mouth, waiting for me to say, just kidding.  People are puzzled by something so simple...as I said, in a time when there is a way around everything.....running can't be cheated.  There is no hiding behind your shortfalls.  There is no counting on your team to compensate for your weakness.  When you lace those shoes up, and you take that first step....you are trained, or untrained....and its all on you.  (side note:  I love the movie "Man On Fire" with Denzel...if you haven't seen it, check it out...I may have stolen that line....but whatever, I'm sure Denzel wouldn't mind).

Now, I know that these things about running might not appeal to a lot of people...in fact, many people don't do it for exactly those reasons.  Some people hate the fact that there are no short cuts, you can't cut corners, and you can't sqeak by on giving 50 or 60% of yourself.....but I LOVE THAT.  I love that whatever I put into training is EXACTLY what I get out of it.  I get where I'm going only if I have trained and taught myself to get there.  Very few things are as black and white as that.  Secretly, I know that I have done everything I can to be ready for the marathon I'm training for.....and I know that other runners out there underestimate the purity of running.  They expect it to be like professional sports, or american idol, or congress for that matter...where cheating and who you know matters rather than character and work ethic. 

In its purest form, running can demonstrate ones character better than a conversation or a hand shake....and as I completed my 20 mile run and joined my husband and 2 dogs for brunch, I smiled a little inside, knowing that I put my whole self into something.  While others slept, I woke up and took that first step toward renewed confidence and the knowledge that I have already done more than I ever thought I could do.