Day 73: Running

I've never really been "in shape" in my adult life. But I've never really been out of shape either. I've climbed mountains. I've hiked through deserts. And sometimes (on few occasions) I've even took up the habit of running.

Running isn't something I've ever really enjoyed. My father was a runner (is a runner). I enjoy man physical activities, but not running. Last Spring, however, a friend of mine suggested that I train for a Disney Virtual Race program- three 5K races, all Marvel themed.

So I decided, "What the hell". Maybe it would be good for me. I envisioned that I would spend all Summer training and then each 5K would be completed in some exotic location. And it panned out.

My June 5K was completed in Forest Park, Saint Louis. July took me through the sprawling vineyards of Osoyoos, Canada. My August run was achieved on the shores of the Lachine Canal in Montreal. I would meticulously measure each run out ahead of time, making sure that the scenery was gorgeous. And it was.


I felt proud of myself after completing those three 5Ks. I felt I had even maybe earned those large Marvel-themed medals. But I didn't feel like running again. It was painful. It was stressful. And without the exotic locations and gorgeous scenery, it no longer interested me.

This Spring my friend came back with a new suggestion. This time instead of three 5K the virtual program was six 10K. I don't think I've ever even ran as far as 10K in my life. But the medal was too cool to say "no" too. It was a Thanos infinity gauntlet with 6 magnetic infinity stones. Each infinity stone represented one of the 10K runs. I had to do it.

For me planning the routes out is actually more fun than running them. So for the past month, on my bike, I measured out six 10K routes. Instead of far off exotic locations (like last Summer) these routes would tour me around the pristine Green Circle Trail of my home town. And the last 10K would take me far out of town on the Tomorrow River Trail. It was beautiful. It was perfect. But then I came to a point where I had to actually run the damn routes.

I put off training. Sure, I had run last Summer, but now I was a year older. My Christmas weight was still hanging around. Little aches and pains plagued my body- the war wounds of fatherhood and lawn care. I wasn't ready.

But eventually I could put if off no longer. June was quickly approaching and if I was actually going to run six 10Ks, it needed to be now. Yet, I allowed myself two mitigations. First, I would let myself to listen to headphones during the training. This was more possible because I now have some wireless headphones, gifted to me from my brother as a birthday present last November. 

The second deal I made with myself was not to worry about the time or pace. I was going to enjoy running, if it was at all possible to do so.

So this evening  I set out on my first practice run of the season. Initially, I felt very winded- I feared that running truly wasn't for me, it was something I could never enjoy. But after the first few blocks, my lungs caught up with me. My aches and pains subsided. I listened to a non-fiction Doctor Who podcast on my headphones. Soon I realized that everything was okay. Even after nine months of hibernation, my body remembered what to do- was almost comfortable with the process. Instead of pushing myself to go faster (as I would have done last Summer), I just settled into my comfy pace and enjoyed my radio program. I didn't even finish my route with a 50 yard sprint as my father taught me as a child. I simply plodded blissfully toward the finish line, with plenty of energy to spare.

Maybe running is for me. I hope so, because there is going to be a lot of it this summer.