We Run This Town

Never make decisions while running up a hill. Make them on top of the hill.

It takes courage to do it, be a runner. We all found that out a long time ago. Because it’s about more than fatigue. It’s about pain, and dealing with it for a long time. And it’s about resolve.

…the real fun was in trying to win. Winning itself was empty. It was all the preparation, the tough times, the competition, and the people that made it all very worthwhile. I realized that without question, it was the journey that was fun, not the destination.

The fatigue that you get from running – when your legs are sore – that’s a response to the stress you’ve just put it under. And that stress, that damage, is exactly what signals your body to get stronger, adapt, and say ‘hey, we have to rebuild better so that the next time we encounter this stress we won’t experience so much damage.’ The point of training is to get tired – and then adapt to it.

Running continues to be my best teacher. At times it has been mind-blowingly transformative. Other times, a chore. Even an albatross. I’ve learned that running is most powerful in my life when the heart of it is wild; when it isn’t fenced in by obsession with outcomes, negative body talk, and all the other crap you can possibly attach to it. We inherit much of our relationship with running from others, but when we can sort out what it means to us, what the wildest, purest version of it is for us, and pay attention, then it can work all kinds of magic.

“The beauty of running is that the toughness derived is simply from man versus the distance. Yes, there are other competitors in the race, but beating them isn’t the hardest part – running eventually boils down to individual runners and the six inches between their ears. Few sports leave one so exposed to the mental back-and-forth that occurs during a competition. It’s a constant battle between wanting to strive on and push through the pain, or to give in, even just a little, to alleviate the symptoms of fatigue, which cause so much distress.

That quarter-mile oval may be one of the few places in the world where the bastards can’t screw you over, Quenton. That’s because there’s no place to hide out there. No way to fake it or charm your way through, no deals to be made. You know all about that stuff. You’ve talked about it. It’s why you became a miler. The question now is whether you are prepared to live by it or whether it was just a bunch of words.

“A lot of people have to accept that psychological and physical injuries are at the same level of intensity. They can do the same level of damage to somebody’s self confidence and their ability to perform.”

Every runner has a little crazy in ‘em. It’s a good thing.

The Struggle: Runner Addition

“This is a true statement. For 20 years, the first thought that enters my mind when I wake up in the morning is going for a run. And like lightning to thunder, my next thought is coffee. But in that space between the two, with my body heavy on my wrinkled sheets, right before the blurry stack of books on my nightstand comes into focus, I think about the run.