Sipping my second cup of coffee and looking out the window, my mind seems to wander all over the place. Thoughts eventually slow down to a crawl but seem to have the same theme. Why go out there? What’s the point? My brain demands an answer. The mind game has begun.
It’s a daily existential struggle. Why?
Goals? Not enough of a reason. I’ve already achieved all I wanted. Fitness? Ok, maybe, but you don’t need to run as much as I do just for fitness. Searching for more answers…
I know I’ll be going out there because as I have this internal struggle I continue picking out my running clothes and getting my gear together, making last minute food, drink, bathroom stops. Then I check the weather for the millionth time (as if it’s going to change). Finally, I go out the door.
Walking toward the park, I turn on my playlist and get my Garmin ready. The sight of park gets me excited. Pumped by the music I start to move my body and all of a sudden I know. My “why” was only going to be obvious when I finally made it out of the house. Which brings me to this point. Don’t wait for the answer before coming out. First, come out and then you’ll know.
It’s not physical, so no goals of time or fitness would motivate me. It’s deeply emotional and spiritual for me. It’s in this state of mind and body that I experience a perfect and amazing equilibrium. The pure love of how I feel when I run is the real pull that keeps me coming back for more.
But isn’t there pain involved? Sure, but it’s irrelevant. To be a long distant runner, who’s truly embraced the love of the run, is to be an overcomer. The more you overcome, the better you learn how to dismiss any kind of pain or discomfort. Nothing matters because you’re out there running. You know the pain will come and you know you will overcome it so you almost welcome it.
Long distance runners speak of the proverbial “wall” or bonking that occurs around mile 18-20 in a marathon. A pretty common scenario: “Everything was going great until mile 18 and then it all fell apart” (cramps, general weakness, tight muscles, dizziness, overheating, etc, etc, etc). Sounds familiar? Train to overcome. There will be many walls that try to stop you and the better you get at wall breaking the more this “wall” will become non existent.
The resilience that results from this is a life changing experience that translates into many non running situations where you need to do something that requires patience and overcoming discomfort. It becomes a resource you draw from and rise to the difficult and challenging occasion.
So as I ponder why go out and run, I think of all the walls I’ll be breaking and I smile. Then put my game face on. Let’s go get it!