So I owe you a lot of posts on running, and I'm probably just gonna skip most of (all of?) last week. It was another bad week for running -- the early days kick my ass and then even when I do run, I have no energy to write a Facebook status, let alone a whole blog.
This week was much the same: I did lift some weights on Monday, but nothing else until today, when I busted out 4 miles. So there I am, running along with a stitch in my side and a total inability to take a really full breath and then my legs ache a little, too. And this all feels very, very familiar.
I've been rehashing my old Lessons From Cross Country, lately. (It happens when you're in the middle of a run, you know.) Back in high school I always wanted to get good enough that I could keep up without any pain. Actually, I would have settled for the whole absence of pain part. So senior year rolls around, and we're running down the railroad tracks behind Rich's heading back towards the high school. Suddenly, I realize that I'm not by myself. April (the fastest runner on the team) is just up ahead, and I'm chatting with Nicole. I'm keeping up! I've gotten better! A lot better!! And... it still hurts.
Right then and there I decided if it doesn't hurt, then you're not doing it right. In order to advance, in order to get better, you can't sit around and let it happen -- you have to make it happen. And that work, that effort, that's the pain.
Has this philosophy colored my enture life? Do I do crazy, difficult things (like move states to new jobs in gang-infested areas or attempt half-marathons after two years of virtual inactivity) because I'm convinced that I'm not really living if I'm not doing something difficult? Or, did I come up with this theory exactly because this was already a part of my personality?
Chicken. Egg.
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2 comments:
Hm. Good question. A better one, to my mind, than the original. I tend to lean on the nurture side of things, so I'd bet on learned behavior, but it's one of those things that's hard to prove, no?
Chicken. Spider. I have missed your post these past few days, I am so happy the you feel back up to posting!
It's unnatural for people to run around the city streets unless they are thieves or victims. It makes people nervous to see someone running. I know that when I see someone running on my street, my instincts tell me to let the dog go after him.
Mike Royko
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