Running is a brutal and beautiful sport. It’s hard to keep in mind that great moments rarely come without intermittent failures, that the pleasure of a race well run is never without the painful slog of miles, and that PRs are typically interspersed with mostly mediocre races. Happy to share my personal experiences with the sport and how I view certain experiences along the overall spectrum.
Brutality -> BEAUTY
- The despair of week 8, 9, etc., of what appears to be a never ending injury
- Watching the squad leave for the meet without you
- Losing to a rival
- The first step you take knowing your injured
- Dropping out, and the torment of whether you should have kept going
- Pre-race nerves
- 33 degrees and raining
- The fear and uncertainty that remains at Mile 20
- Being forced to miss a run as a neurotic person
- The semesters you have early classes and have to workout on your own
- The lingering, but manageable existence of plantar fascitis
- Continual fatigue and just wanting to nap
- The bore of a 24 mile long run
- Post-work runs in the dark
- Losing to a friend, and running poorly yourself
- When you first realize that your heroes were cheating
- Having to do the “little things”
- The third-to-last interval
- Muddying up your brand new running shoes
- The part of the two weeks off when you really want to run again
- Forgetting your shoes
- Your last race for the high-school / college team
- The satisfaction of the last day of practice before summer
- Discovering a new route
- The unspoken connection between the squad during a workout
- Watching a friend run an incredible race
- A firm foam roller
- Hitting your exact goal mileage
- A fresh pair of shoes
- The dream of running a mile on an automatic sidewalk
- A cool jug of chocolate milk
- The summer mileage tan
- Exploring a new city by foot
- The excitement of the first day of practice
- When you and your best friend both run a PR
- The last few miles of a marathon, and knowing “you’ve got this”
- Two weeks off
- The wonder and awe you feel for the sport as a young runner
- Pasta nights with the team
- Running camp
- The ability to “eat whatever you want”
- Receiving anything running related for free
- Running in the rain, and deciding you don’t care about being wet
- Geeking out for the Olympics
- The cool down after a great workout
- Single-track trails through the woods
- Recovery runs with the crew
- Post-season parties and celebrations
- Your first sub – 6:00 / 5:30 / 5:00 / 4:30 / 4:00 mile (we can dream)
- Your first sub – 3:00 / 2:45 / 2:30 / 2:20 / 2:15 marathon (we can dream)
- Post-run breakfast
- Post-workout breakfast
- The feeling of being in “The Flow”
Do good,
Young Austin