I used to hate running. I couldn't bring myself to go and do some "boring cardio" for 30 minutes. Whenever I would run I would find myself out of breath within the first two minutes, wanting to just stop.
I took a class last semester that was part of my Kinesiology major. I learned how to set a percentage of someone's maximum aerobic capacity, or how hard they can work doing longer cardio sessions. For the first time, I realized that I was never pacing myself when I ran.
That changed things, but I was still bored. Then I talked to a friend who was an avid runner. He would run 6-7 miles a day. He told me, "Matt, if you are bored running then you need to run farther."
So I decided that I would give it a shot again, keeping pacing and mileage in mind.
I loved it. I still love it.
For the first couple minutes you are really trying to get into a groove. Connecting your breath with your footsteps, scanning the area to spot where you are going to direct your route, and most importantly, releasing your mind.
We were born to run. The reason we are bipedal is for running. It's how we exhausted our food, traveled long distances, and escaped from danger. But the 21st century is much different than our origins. We have more worries now, more unnecessary problems.
For me, running makes those problems melt away. That test I have? The work I need to do? My anger, sadness, stress, or heartache? It disappears within the first 5 minutes. All that I can focus on is the feeling of my breath entering and being forced out of my body. Then I hear the gentle smack of my shoes on the pavement. Then I open my eyes and I see the colors of the trees around me, hear the birds chirping, the cars pass by, or the lilt of a song coming from somewhere.
Then the feelings come tumbling through. Joy; unbounded, radiating through my body from the very essence of my soul. My mind becomes as clear as a crystal ball and I lose all of the boring chatter that moves through it. I gain presence. I gain strength. I gain patience. I gain will. I gain a connection to my body that I feel like I don't have when I am sitting around. I and my body are one.
It also gives me time to think. The clarity of mind that comes with running gives a blank canvas for me to focus on singular ideas or events. While I'm running, all I have is time, right? I have found that most serious runners are very humble, down-to-earth, wise people. I understand why.
I hope that I never get to a point in my life where I can't run. But if I keep it up, I shouldn't ever get to that point. "Move. If you don't, one day you might not be able to." – Ido Portal
I hope everyone finds something they do that brings the sort of experience that I feel when I put on my shoes and step out the door. If running gives you that, then great. If something else gives you that, then great. Just find something that does. I think it's a spiritual thing, but that's just me.
Parting words: Run when you can. But, if you can, try to run during a sunset or a sunrise. It just feels right to see the beginning or end of the day and it gives me closure to that day to see a sunset. I will never get that day back. But that's okay, because at least I got to see it through to the end.
