Running not fun for me?

Sunday, February 12, 2012 · Mike Davis

Here we are almost in the middle of February already! It’s crazy how this winter has unfolded, the weather has been fantastic! Signing up for a late spring marathon is always a challenge as that means you have to run through the winter. Not so much the case this winter, yeah some days have been less than ideal, but overall, the weather has been perfect for running. The choices you have when thinking about running a marathon are running through the winter for a spring marathon or dealing with the heat of summer for a fall 26.2. For me I guess it doesn’t really matter as I’m determined to run through both seasons. If you have checked out my daily blog, you have some indication as to what my training is like. Not that all training is similar, but I would say that my experience is probably similar to that of many people. Yeah, some are just naturals at it and running comes a lot easier not so much for me.

Wow, what a revelation! Running doesn’t come easy to a guy that runs all the time, coach’s runners and has a running website? Truth be told; running is always a battle for me and that may be exactly why I love running. Sure it would be nice if whenever I lace up my shoes, I could coast through air looking like a cougar. Instead, I lace up my shoes and prepare to overcome and push through however many miles I have ahead of me. Great motivator huh! Why do I love something that sounds so difficult? Simple, not much good ever comes from things that are simple. My daughter is frustrated by not going from high school, to college to right the perfect grad school. Isn’t that how life is supposed to work! Maybe if she were attempting to do something that anyone could do. Instead she chose a career that is competitive and not easy to get in to.

Like my daughter, I would like things to come easy, but my life of nearly 49 years has taught me that nothing truly special in life ever came even close to easy. Running is a wonderful sport/ activity that develop our bodies, our minds and our spirit. If it were easy, it would probably do none of the three and it would be just a hobby. Instead running shows me what I’m capable of and what it takes to succeed. I often talk about empowerment on our website and if running were something that was easy, I don’t think empowerment would be possible. We empower ourselves by climbing the mountain not walking around it. The often used cliché definitely fits here; “If running were easy everyone would do it”. Instead, while the running population is increasing, it’s still a small percentage of people that really run.

So, as I train for a 26.2 mile race, I battle through something that’s not easy or necessarily fun. Fun for me is such things as golf, play cards, skiing and going to a baseball game. Besides maybe golf, none of these activities give me the high that running does. While the high may not come till after I’m done a run, but it lasts for hours if not days. As my daughter goes crazy waiting for it to get easier to get where she wants to get, she doesn’t realize how special it will be when she gets there. I can understand and even relate.

Have fun!