Run For Your LIFE!!!

                No need to look over your shoulder.   There is not a gargantuan boulder thundering down the path in your direction.  No tsunami rolling in to sweep you out to sea.  Not even a cloud of voracious insects blocking the sun, ready to swarm and feast upon your exposed flesh.  I am merely talking about what we runners do every day.  We run for our lives.

I’m not talking about our physical lives, because we already know the countless health benefits of vigorous physical activity.  We know that running strengthens our bones and muscles and keeps our heart healthy.  The burning of calories keeps our bodies balanced between what we put in and what we put out.  Craving the occasional double cheeseburger with the works, or a generous slice of chocolate/peanut butter pie? Go for it, and then enjoy those added early morning miles as you work off each one of those delectable extra calories.  Running keeps our bodies in balance.

                But when I say that I “Run for my life,” I am thinking not only of my physical well-being, but the whole package; body, mind and heart - the sappy-sentimental-loving kind of heart. 

                Solo runs are cleansing.  Usually in the morning when the birds and frogs are welcoming the day, I head out for a plod on nearby trails.  This is a chance to clear my mind of the clutter of work and home life.  Undistracted by news-radio, bustling kids frenetically getting ready for school or the pile of laundry that has been waiting for me to for two days, I chug along.  I am able to plan the day, the week and reflect on life in general.  This is also my most creative time of day.  Could it be all of that fresh air hitting my brain that feels so rejuvenating, or just the fact that my only purpose for this one hour of the day is to move forward, one step at a time?  These morning runs are sometimes dreaded when the weather is frigid and wet, and the thought of staying in the warm, cozy house so inviting.  But these soggy outings are never regretted afterward.  Total refreshment never fails.

                Buddy runs are necessary.  At least half the time I meet my training partner for a run.  We help motivate each other to get out and push one another along.  Sometimes we meet for a workout - maybe a timed tempo run, hill repeats or the ominous track workouts.   Although my partner, an admitted track-junkie, has to hog-tie and drag me along to the sinister oval, I’m usually happy she did.  However, I believe it is not necessarily the physical gains from the training that are most beneficial.

 These buddy runs are our Mental Health Check-ups.  We vent about everything from work, to spouses, to kids, to undone chores, all in the safety of our private, side-by-side conversation.  We sometimes rage and swear and solve world problems, and our anger pushes us to faster times.  Other days are spent stopping, doubled-over belly-laughing, to a joke or funny story – on these days our times slow way, way down.  But we don’t mind how fast or how slow, because all of those big stresses that seemed so over-whelming when we got up that morning somehow have a new shine – a smaller, more friendly, do-able sparkle and now we are ready to tackle those problems, one bite at a time.

And then there are the group runs.  I sometimes think of our Sunday run as a Mob Run.  Anywhere from five to twenty of us meet at the trailhead for a social 1.5 to 2 hour run on the beautiful, winding trails of Galbraith Mountain.  The conversation is lively and completely uncensored, but everyone knows that what is said on the trail stays on the trail!  These runs prove to me that laughter is good for the soul because I always return home afterward feeling light and exuberant instead of pooped from the long, hilly miles.  What I do know is we would likely never meet weekly for a couple of hours to chat if we weren’t on the run.  These women and these runs keep me sane and happy and I don’t want to imagine living without them.

So, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!  For all the parts of your life, for your body, mind and spirit.  Those couch potatoes and “you’re going to hurt your knees” naysayers don’t know what they’re missing!