Hey man, you clicked on my email thread. I told you I was going to talk about running. I know you’ve probably heard it all from the runner in your life, but I did warn you.
There’s this sense about runners from people who don’t run- believe me, I was one of them until about 600 days prior to writing this- that they are weird, fitness-obsessed, almost masochistic people. “Why would you want to spend your time doing that to yourself?” is a question I have frequently heard in this context.
Let me say this- even runners tend to agree with some of those sentiments, to a degree.
It is an odd thing to choose to do with my time- I wake up earlier so that I can facilitate this habit, earlier than anyone else is up and about. I’m often awake around 4 in the morning, just so I can run around my neighborhood for a few hours before going in to work. That, from the outside, and sometimes the inside, seems really bizarre.
It’s also rather abusive a thing to do to your body. I’m sore, a lot. Especially if you increase mileage too fast, or you run in bad shoes, it can hurt really bad.
And, on top of all of that, it can become quite obsessive when it comes to fitness. I can understand that; a bunch of people, constantly spewing on and on about “my run this morning felt so good” or “man if I don’t get my run in, I’m a different person” (I’ve literally uttered both of these, and not in a timeframe that feels flattering to admit).
But, my word, the way I feel.
Just try it. I dare you. Get yourself to a 5k. That is a layup, for almost everyone in this world- I firmly believe anyone can run 3 miles in one sitting, and recover well afterwards. If you are fit enough and young enough, you can probably do it tomorrow. I would, of course, recommend taking it slow. Otherwise you have a higher likelihood of hurting yourself, something none of us want. But the point is, you can do it. You might even like it if you try. There is not this high percentage of people, running turkey trots and marathons and ultramarathons and whatever for no reason, right?
Running helps me think. It keeps me in shape, it lets me shut off the ticker tape and become incredibly in-tune with my body. As I said yesterday, I think we are all capable of so much more than we initially think, and I think we have a duty to prove to ourselves (over and over and over) just how capable we are.
Imagine running a 5k- a seemingly high goal for now, but I promise it is well-attainable, and within reach for most of society. I’m not saying you have to sprint to the end, but a sustained effort of above what we might deem 60% energy. Imagine the achievement of knowing that you, dear reader, were able to run a distance of 3 miles, in one sitting, and make it to the end. If you are particularly fast, it might take you 35 minutes the first time. If you are on the reverse end of the spectrum, it might take an hour, although that would be rather high.
Imagine! Most of us, prior to running a distance of that length, don’t even run or walk a third of that distance in a day (being that the goal of 10,000 steps is roughly 4 miles, and that goal is put in place because it seems like a reach for a large number of people). I promise you can make it- I promise.
If you do, you will feel a sense of achievement that you did something rather difficult, something which you might not have thought you can do at the present moment of your life. And that, likely and nearly-inevitably, will catapult you on to greater achievements. We, as humans, have a great potential for spiralling, both downwards and upwards.
There is an ancient proverb of the koi fish in (please correct me if I am wrong) Japanese culture, which dictates the perseverance of a koi swimming up a waterfall- after thousands of attempts, the only koi to not give up in the face of adversity reaches enlightenment. That is to say, it becomes a dragon, a pretty bad*** reward for swimming upstream. (This symbology is not reserved to this Japanese tale, indeed it seems that cultures across the world for all of history have shown us that in carrying our cross, in resisting the turning of the world, we can ascend beyond annihilation and degradation of ourselves. See Jesus Christ and Siddhartha-> Buddha).
Chase that waterfall with a 5k. I know you can do it, and you’ll see why all of us runners act so weird, obsess about this fitness pursuit, and seem to enjoy the pain it might cause on occasion.
Or don’t. That’s your prerogative.