Tired, but Still Going

I have a confession. There are days when I wonder if I should just quit running and start riding a bike again. My legs ache this morning and my left achilles has been bugging me. My frame has a lot to do with all my aches and pains.

Running has been my relief and retreat for more than a decade now. My weight loss quest began on bicycle, though. Many times I long for the fun of cycling. But, I just don't have the time to sit for hours on a bike. I can get a quality workout in under an hour if I run. But I can't ignore the toll running has had on my body. But I also can't ignore the fun I've had or the way running has kept me in shape. Plus, running is a lot cheaper than cycling. The most expensive pair of running shoes I own cost me $100. Try finding a decent bike for that.

When my colleagues and friends ask me why I run, if running isn't wearing my body down, I tell them I need that escape from the realities of life that only running can provide. Running is one pure thing I can do where my only competition is me. I'm not running against the clock, another person, or even the world. I run to make myself better. I run to think and dream and zone out the noise of a frantic life.

I guess one can do this cycling. There were many times back when I rode every day where I pretty well got lost in my own thoughts and got caught up in the mindless cadence of my pedaling. But you can't stop and walk and slow down on a bike the way you can while out for a run.

A few years ago, while working at a different school, I ran a few times with an old friend. He's pretty much a toothpick, going 150 lbs soaking wet, if even that. He looks like a runner with his skinny legs and tight gait. The first thing I noticed about a block or two into our run he was not wearing a watch. Odd, I thought. Mine was reset and counting the minutes. Then, he did something I thought was really crazy. As we crossed the bridge over the railroad tracks, a train was slowly moving underneath us. He screamed, "Cool, check it out!" He stopped dead and hung over the rail. My watch didn't care about the train. It was still running and I wasn't. Instantly I grew perturbed. It must have shown on my face because he looked at me and said, "What?" I smirked and we carried on toward his house. Of course, he stopped a couple more times before we finished our 5-mile destination. While sitting in his yard, I just had to ask. "Okay man, you've ran 4-5 marathons and you run 30-40 miles a week, yet you wear no watch and you stop all the time--why?" He smiled, looked me in the eye, and replied, "Why not?" He's right...why not? Who cares?

Make running fun for yourself, not a chore. I guess that's why I keep on running in spite of the hurts I have. Like my buddy Scott, I've learned to stop and smell the honeysuckle or check out something cool on my runs. My best friend (Dale) and I were inseparable, especially as runners. But he's always been a clock and not stop guy. I've decided life's too short to worry about my watch or keep running with my head down and never notice the beauty that surrounds me.

Have fun out there, whether you walk, run, or ride. We live in a beautiful world and God has given us a lot to look at. Don't pass it up.

That's my confession...what's yours?



TFR