Blogging is a stretch for me. To presume that someone wants to know about the topics I choose to write, the ways I spend my time, the clothes I wear during workouts--it all seems a bit self-absorbed. A few circumstances recently have put blogging, the importance (or lack thereof)-- in perspective. Watching dear friends go through hardships that can’t be alleviated tends to put me in introspective funks and I think it’s good to allow those thoughts to sink in for a time. Life is fragile-- time is presumed, but not promised.
I trend towards short-sightedness and get lost in the “next thing,” without looking down the road at how those ‘next things’ are adding up to a life, a very fast-moving life. Thankfully, Drew is almost the opposite in this area. Sometimes he is so focused on things in our future that I have to snap him back into the days in between. I have to remind him that there are memories to be made on any given Thursday in Greenville as much as a summer day in Norway. It’s a hard balance to strike between “living in the moment,” and “planning for the future.”
Running has taught me more lessons than I can count, but one is:
Stay in the Mile
On Saturday, I ran 20 miles with a friend and these thoughts had plenty of time to simmer
If there are 18 or 20 miles on my program for the day, the first three are barely a dent in the total. If I think about the run as a whole, it looms--and the miles drag. My feet pound the pavement over and over, but don’t feel as though any ground is being covered because there is still so. long. to. go.....
BUT, when I start before the sun gets up and enjoy those dark, quiet miles while the last, knowing that when the sun rises it will feel completely different…. I actually appreciate them.
Furthermore, if a friend agrees to meet up for miles 4-10, there is new life breathed into my feet as we chat about anything and everything. That companion brings a renewed joy the monotony that can accompany running at times. And just like that, a few more have clicked by.
We ran all 20 miles together, but there have been plenty of times a friend or my husband has joined for a portion of a run!
Next, I’ll put in my headphones and treat myself to some music as a way to break up the next segment of miles. Instead of thinking that I’m ONLY half way, I’ll remind myself that I just hit double digits and I’ll NEVER have to hit triple digits (mind games at their best).
Before I know it, it’s mile 18 and even though I couldn’t tell you where mile 8 stopped and 9 started, they have built upon each other to the final stretch. I feel all the aches and fatigue that got me to this point, but couldn’t tell you at which point they came. It’s a process of growth, perserverence and patience that gets any runner to the end.
Days {of life} or miles {of running} examined alone don’t seem impressive or memorable, but they are creating a runner, a person, a LIFE.
Are you short-sighted or long-term focused?
What's one lesson running has taught you?