Now that I've been running consistently for a while, I've taken particular enjoyment from one specific aspect of the sport - not the cute running outfits or the race bling or the metrics and pace times. It's the feeling of fitness and strength knowing that I am stronger and that I can do more and more. It's running 11 miles in the morning and then playing soccer in the evening and not feeling like I've been run over by a train. It's hiking all day and coming home quiet and content, but not completely drained. It's the confidence that I could keep going, the simple affirmation of I CAN.
Sometimes you just need more art in your life. About a year ago I started dedicating more time and energy to the visual arts. I'd always been involved in literature and music and drama, and I'd always appreciated the visual arts; I studied art and architecture in Rome, I frequent museums and galleries, and I am notorious for doodling and drawing in first classroom and now meeting notes. Last year though, I made a real effort to improve those skills.
Neusiok Trail, Croatan National Forest - Leading up to my trip I really thought I was going to walk into a Lost Colony sort of scenario and just disappear into unknown woods. My efforts to research the trail and plan my overnights had just been one big "404 Not Found" love fest. "Click here for a link to a map!" 404 Not Found. "Click here for directions to the trail head!" 404 Not Found. "Click here for shuttle information!" 404 Not Found. But my backpacking NC book and Mountains-to-Sea Trail book encouraged me to go ahead and just explore.
"Hmm, do you think replacing my 10-mile long run with a 22-mile backpacking trip this weekend will be sufficient?" Based on how my legs feel (the words "ow" and "jelly" come to mind) I'd say yes! Of course running 10 miles is a completely different mental experience than backpacking 10 miles. Or is it? Here are a few things the two activities have in common.
Spring tingles. It's like that feeling at the end of yoga's savasana where you wiggle your fingers and toes after lying perfectly still and meditating. There's a gentle prickling as blood and sensation moves through your extremities following minutes of utter calm.
Weekends are for moving. After long weekday hours in a cubicle and workouts in the evening that you force yourself into - despite being tired, despite being hungry, despite the bad weather and that one treadmill whose motor whines - it feels so great to have two days of non-stop action. Long run! Soccer practice! Hiking! Soccer game! Yoga! Biking!
On Sunday night after the US Olympic Marathon Trials, some painful first aid for a soccer injury, and a long blog-writing session, I stared at the computer screen, trying to disengage and get ready or bed. It's never easy to shut down, to quit for the day, and I found myself aimlessly clicking through email - deleting promos, ignoring reminders, and skipping over other junk. But suddenly something caught my eye: a final reminder for some swag if I register for a local race. Oh man. Register for the race! It wasn't that I needed the swag exactly (though who can resist an ultra-soft running tee with a cute design?), but rather it reminded me that I wasn't registered for a spring race yet. I'd run the Krispy Kreme Challenge, sure, but that's more "fun run" than PR-seeking race. I checked my calendar and then checked it again. I knew the races some of my friends had planned, and there was still time to train for those events.
Not every soccer game is great. Not every run is perfect. Sometimes the elements will get you down, or maybe it will be an injury, or maybe it will be a guy with very long legs who injures you, but in any case, some days you need a little time for a tendon to heal or for your skin to stop bleeding and oozing, or for your head to clear. And sometimes what you need is a story of incredible endurance to make you stop being squeamish and try again (after you've cleaned up and bandaged the flesh wounds, of course).
