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.
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A typical hotel "gym" |
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.
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.
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