Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Running Teaches Me Things

Yesterday I ran a 22 mile long run. I averaged 7:03 pace. That is pretty long and fast by my standards. How do I do it? Passion.

Longs runs are my favorite training run. I just love going out there for two hours and running. I also think long runs have a lot to teach us. Go out too fast and you will pay for it in the last few miles. You see there are many walls in the world of running. I have hit the wall two miles into a 5k more than once. I even hit the wall 250 meters into a 400 once. Where these walls are depend on the person but the awesome thing about long runs is that you are guaranteed to go past one. Running more than 10 miles at a time is huge step because of the mental double digits thing. 15 is harder than 14, 18 is way harder than 17, 20 is far harder than 19. Think of these ups and downs as a roller coaster. With almost every wall comes an emotional time where I am so happy, sometimes to the point I want to cry.

I have had a number of injuries that have prevented me from running. Call me shallow for wanting do do something physical, but I'm still going to run. Every step that I take without pain is such a blessing. Even walking across a room. I am so fortunate because I can walk across the room, because I can run out on the roads, because I can climb mountains. When I see people in wheelchairs it makes me so sad. It also makes me run harder. I have such an opportunity. I feel so fortunate not only because I can walk and run but because I can run pretty well.

I am obligated to use my talents and do everything I can. I will climb above 20,000 feet, I will race hard, I will hang on the side of cliffs, who knows what else I will do. Running teaches me to be thankful for every step because "a journey of a 1000 miles starts with a single step." - Lao-Tzu

If you think my life is already crazy, hang on.

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