THE ACCIDENTAL RUNNER

Someone said to me, “It seems like you get a lot of joy out of running,” and I had to laugh. Then I took a moment to think about this. After all, I get sore knees, feet and awfully winded. Still, when I gave this a little more thought, I came up with a response that kind of surprised me.

I am an accidental runner who manages to get joy out of what running gives me. And that’s made all the difference.

Let me explain.

A typical hotel "gym"

When I travel, I hate the hotel "gyms." They are usually small with a treadmill, or creeky stationary bike of some sort. And they all have the same rubbery smell. So, when I arrive in a new town or area, I relish the first time I click the map app on my iPad and look for parks, or river trails or just large open areas. I get a jolt when I can spot a small state park or national monument nearby, because those locales tend to have a network of trails. Even most cities now have bike trails or running paths that you can see on the satellite views.

I’ll call up local trails on the All Trails app, or I'll often ask at the hotel front desk and if hard pressed I’ll check local running clubs, but I prefer to find places on my own. It’s that excitement of the unexpected. That’s one of the key parts of what I look for and what gets me excited in a new area.

Here’s a simple example.

I was staying in a relatively new hotel just off the north/east runways at the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport (DFW). All new buildings, condos and shopping malls had been recently constructed almost beneath the flight paths. I had a couple of free hours and when I looked out my window I saw the new little Colinas Crossing lake encircled with a paved path that then disappeared into a new condominium complex to the north.

I switched into my running gear and headed out to see where that path went.

After the warm up around the east side of the lake I followed the path back northward. It tore through the condos then narrowed and disappeared into a wooded area. I was amazed when I looked up through the live Oak canopy, I could see freeways. I was running along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River beneath the LBJ Freeway. I was only a mile or so from the airport but I felt like I was miles from civilization.

Then my path ended at a long-abandoned park complete with camp sites, and tennis courts. The native grasses were reclaiming this family area that had been cut off by the freeways. You could tell it was once a fantastic park on the banks of the river in a little gully. Had I been able to keep going, I would have found The Sam Houston Trail Park was just ahead and across the river. I was also struck that hundreds of thousands of people drove over this park every year and didn’t even know it was there. I was also aware of how lucky I was to have seen and to have traveled through this little slice of forgotten history.

Now back to that joy thing for a moment.

It is a three-part condition for me. Part one is anticipation. Part two is the actual running. And part three is the post run appreciation.

So, part two. The actual running. I know a lot of people talk about a running high, but I don’t get it. Mostly I get gasping, headaches, sore knees, tired feet and burning lungs. Sometimes small children will pass me and say sweet things like, “don’t worry mister, it will be okay.” I love kids. Then again, every once in a while, or often in the middle of a run, my body clicks in, arms/legs working in harmony, and I feel like a runner. It usually doesn’t last long. But I do have a will to finish what I started whether it’s a 3-mile jog or a run to a destination and back.

Recently after work I had only 30 minutes to squeeze in a workout so at the local park I marked out a 100-yard course to try something new for me: wind sprints. I did 10 of them. I sprinted as fast as I could then walked back to the beginning letting my heart rate drop to 110bpm before sprinting again. It was an amazing physical sensation to feel the difference from running as fast as I could to a 12-mph pace distance run. I felt like Carl Lewis, though probably looked more like Forrest Gump. Great workout.

The Downside?

I was sore for 4 days and couldn’t work out. My hamstrings were killing me. I loved the work out, but it sure took a lot out of me.

So I like to think of myself as a runner, but I’m not sure I can wear that mantle when I don’t actually like doing it all that much at the time.

I do love having completed a run. Back in the hotel room, or back at home, I feel great about myself. I love the physical sensations in my body after a run. I especially like plugging in my Garmin and seeing the results of my activity. Though I am often disappointed in my performance.

So I guess, yes, I do experience that joy of running. It comes from everything about it. Finding the unexpected, seeing and experiencing something or someplace new. How it makes me feel physically. And for the appreciation I have post run for being able to participate in life at a deeper level than I would have had I stayed in my room, called room service and watched yet one more episode of American Pickers.