Just Keep Running

Thirty Days of Thankfulness, Day 26

Have you ever driven past someone running down the road and thought, "That looks completely terrible!"?  You are not alone; I used to think like that, too.  These days, when I see someone running, though, I get a little jealous-even if I've already run that day.

When I started running, I couldn't even run one mile without stopping to gasp for air several times, even at a very slow pace.  But then I tried again the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that.  I'd like to tell you that every day got a little bit easier, but that wasn't the case.  If anything, I felt a little bit worse every day.  But I was determined to teach myself to be a runner, if only for a little while.  Every day, I'd lace up my shoes and hit the road.  I'd set goals to make this run faster or to go just a little bit farther than the day before.  The first time I ran three miles without stopping was amazing-I had done it!  But I didn't love it.  I didn't even like it.  But I had committed to run a five mile race in a couple months and I was going to complete it, even if it killed me.  (And I kind of thought it might!)  So, I kept on running.  Further, faster, eye on the prize.  When the race was over I could quit.

And then I ran that race.  And I didn't die.  In fact, it was kind of fun.  And then I wanted to run ALL the races.  I think that summer I raced almost every weekend.  A 5k here, a 10k there, nothing too big.  But then I wanted more.  So I trained for a half marathon and again, I didn't die.  So I ran another one.  And another.  And then I heard rumors of a twenty mile race in Ohio that started to call my name.  So I did that, too.  And then I figured, since I ran twenty miles, I might as well go for the whole enchilada and run a full marathon.  So I did.  And that marathon was hard.   I learned so much in that race.  There's a saying about marathons: "Run the first part with your head, the middle part with your personality, and the last part with your heart."  And it's true-if you go out too fast, you'll never finish, if you can't get over the boredom of the middle, you'll never make it to the final push.  And that final push?  You have to want it.  Whether you run a 14 minute mile or a 6 minute mile, the end will have you reaching deep inside for everything you've got.  But when I crossed that finish line, all those feelings were behind me. I had done it.  26.2 miles.  I was a marathoner.  My first thought?  I want to do another one.

I'm not sure when it happened, but sometime between my first half marathon and my first full marathon, I fell in love with running.  I found that through running, I could clear even the crappiest day from my mind.  I could think through problems and come up with solutions.  I could get lost in a book and think about absolutely nothing.

Every run is an adventure.  I always plan my runs ahead of time, and I'm always looking for new routes to explore.  Sometimes I start out on a trail like this:

And then see a trail like this that I just have to follow:

Sometimes the trails take me to places like this:

And sometimes I get completely turned around and lost and find myself in the middle of a forest:

But I have discovered the secret:  Just keep running.

I started running on March 24, 2013. In the three and a half years since, I have run 6,784 miles, including 12 half marathons, 4 marathons, 2 50k ultramarathons, and countless smaller races.  I have run in rain and sleet and snow and wind and bright sunshine and sweltering humidity, and in temperatures ranging from -5 degrees to 95 degrees.

I guess at this point you could call me an experienced runner.  I know what to eat and drink and how much and when, I know how to dress for any kind of weather, I know when to push it and when to back off.  Does this mean my runs are easy?  No.  Does this mean I enjoy every run?  Definitely not.  I am very tough on myself, and I know my only real competition is me, but I always want more.  I have bigger dreams and goals than what I've already accomplished, but I am taking them one step at a time.  I am thankful that I have the ability and the health to run.  I am thankful I can be a positive role model for my children. I am thankful for the countless friends I have made through running, near and far.  And I am thankful that Jason gets it, and when I need to run, he tells me to go!

A wise man once said, "Run often, run long, but never outrun your joy of running."