Love The Act Of Running

Jan. 4, 2013

I'm still having trouble writing 2013. It just doesn't seem right. Of course, neither did 2003.

This morning's inspirational thought from Runner's World came courtesy of Ryan Hall.

"It's all about loving the simple act of running. In America, getting caught up in times, places, and so on is all too easy, but the goal really is just to love the simple act of running."

 The statement reminded me of something I heard years ago, and I have long since forgotten who made the comment. The person, whoever it was, said America is the only country where we ride bikes specifically for fitness, while eschewing bike riding as a means of transportation. 

And the person said the reverse was also true. Countries that value bikes as a mode of transportation can't imagine going out on a two-wheeler for pure recreation.

Let's face it, we're a nation of scoreboard watchers. How did your 401K do this year? How high is your GPA? What was your annual bonus? We like to be able to see numbers ticking up or down to define our success or failure.

So keeping tabs on time and distance for running, biking and general fitness seem to be an unavoidable bi-product of being American. We are hard-wired to keep track of such data.

Personally, I'm a little more Zen about exercise. Oh, I'd love to be faster, but I like being in the moment whether it's on the bike or out running. It's hard sometimes to remind yourself that the journey is the destination.

 I still enjoy getting from point A to point B as quickly as I can, so I'll probably never be a stop and smell the roses kind of guy. But I do enjoy the feeling of pounding the pavement -- the nagging aches and pains that remind you that you're not just sitting still letting life pass you by. The endorphin fix you get after a particularly good run.

You probably don't miss any of these things until they're taken away by injury, illness or a lack of time. This week I've been nursing a sore back, so my running has been limited and I've even taken to walking. But you know what, it's good to be out in the cool winter air and moving around.

So get out and hit the streets, be in the moments, and leave your GPS at home.

Oh yeah, today I was 194 pounds of rolling thunder.