Don't Forget: Running Makes Things OK

Jan. 22, 2013

Today I am 194.2 pounds of rolling thunder.

And yes I mean rolling thunder. For the first time in nearly two weeks I rolled through my daily run.

And while it wasn't necessarily pain-free, it was at least not painful. The past two weeks or so have been an exercise in patience that I often do not have. 

Runner's World Kick in the Butt Quote of the Day:

"Truly, I love running. It's who I am. It's a part of me. Even if I can only run for 10 minutes, I feel whole and happy. And if everything else is falling to pieces, I go for a run, and I feel like things are going to be OK."
Johanna Olson, Olympic Marathon Trials runner who died of brain cancer at the age of 33

Running isn't who I am, although it's become a bigger part of the me that I identify with. For years, riding a bike was who I was, but in the last few years saddle time has been traded for running shoe time. I still like to ride, but instead of four hours on a Saturday morning I now spend an hour or two running.

It was good to get back out on the road today. Over the weekend, I decided to not force the issue and run in the icy cold, while giving my back a break and riding my stationary bike instead. The nice thing about riding indoors is being able to lose yourself in whatever is on TV.

The bad thing about riding inside is that it never seems like as good a workout as when you venture outside either on a bike or a run. It's hard to simulate that feeling of your heart pounding out of your chest and those deep breaths you have to draw when climbing a hill.

Plus the fresh air and sunshine do wonders for your disposition. If I skip a day of doing something physical I can feel it. Just getting my heart rate raised a little while riding a stationary bike does me a lot of good. And in this weekend's case, it helped loosen all those sore back muscles, while resting my back enough to get me back on the road.

So whether you love running or just like it a lot, get out there and move -- walk, run, bike or roll. Do something to get your body moving so everything will be OK.