Why Do I Run?

I have no idea.  I'm so sore right now.  The wife is about to watch Dancing With The Stars so I ponder.  Perhaps I am trying to regain my youth.  Perhaps I am simply trying to test my limits.  Of course, some people climb mountains to test their limits.  Some run across deserts.  Some swim across oceans.  It seems what I am asking of my body is not all that much.  Yet, my body is not cooperating.  It's not doing what I want it to do.  I refuse to accept that this is what 51 years old looks like for me.

In the picture above, I am 5 and my dad is in the background walking around the track.  I could run a mile in 9:00 when I was 5.  I have trouble keeping up that pace now.  I am hoping to be better once the snow is gone and I can run the trails more productively.

But...I'm lying to myself even now.  My legs are in rough shape.  I have some kind of shin pain.  I just looked it up on WebMD and it appears I likely just have simple shin splints.  I guess I never really understood what that truly is and how painful it can be.  I need to run on the front of my foot more (part of my laziness) and stay away from running on hard surfaces.  I figured out the latter on my own.

But...why do I run?  I started at a young age.  I took a break at 17 when I got confused with what was and who I was.  I was never the same runner again although I ran fairly regular through to my early 30s.  In organized sports I was forced to train regularly. I never took it tremendously seriously but left to my own devices, I slacked much more.

I wish I had today's drive in that young body.  Zen teaches that the past is the past.  It no longer exists.  I need to accept who I am today.  I am doing that on many levels.

Anyway...running.  I honestly don't know why it is so important right now.  It doesn't matter.  I should ride it out while I have the energy.  I just need to move...move with no apparatus...just my feet, body and mind.

I don't wear headphones.  I don't understand how anyone can have proper balance/coordination without hearing the world...hearing the wind, woods and critters.  I don't understand why anyone would block out the sounds of the woods or even the streets.  I love coming across critters in the woods.  This is cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkemK00kPo4

Stuff like that happens in the woods.  The marvelous randomness of the real world...


That was all written yesterday.  It is now today.  The question is: why do I run?  I think it is mainly the no apparatus aspect.  Like...you could run anywhere...even if you had no shoes...

There is definitely a Zen to running...the freedom of being alone in the woods with just one's thoughts.  Or to be Zen and have no thoughts. Only experience what is going on around you and specifically, what is in front of you.  Whatever.  I used to do some of my best thinking while I was running.  I was like a machine in my youth.  I didn't appreciate it back then.  It was my "normal."

Now I do running meditations...sometimes I think and sometimes I don't.  Wax on, wax off.

I think I have a good plan to eradicate the shin splints.  I looked up some stretches and exercises and will do them every day.

Why do I run?  Because I can...

BSTRA Ride-Roll-Run Relay: A Great Example of Living in the NOW!

It was a good race on Sunday.  I found out about the race from a friend I work with.  We have been on trail committees together also.  Anyway, I’m a mountain biker and love the kind of riding that was required in this race: cross country on and off road.  29er tires pumped up hard and ready to go fast.

I didn’t know either of my team-mates prior to race day.  Becky was our horse rider (and the head of BSTRA…nice that!).  Jessie was our runner.  A cute young lady that was built lean like a runner (I was once a runner in another life).  We kicked butt.  The horses went first (6.8 miles) and Becky was the second one to the transition area.  The first biker on the course headed out about 10 minutes ahead of me. Then it was my turn.

I got on my Stump Jumper 29er and took off.  I had ridden the course several times before the race and was completely confident in my ability to blaze the trail.  I expected to do a time of about 35 minutes.  I finished in 31 minutes and was THE FASTEST BIKER!  I passed the bracelet to Jessie and she was off on the 5 mile run course.  I have no idea how she did for time (not posted on the BSTRA page yet) but she did great as we came in First Place!  “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” was our team name.  If my memory is accurate: we came in at 2:07:00, 2^nd was 2:10:00 and 3^rd was 2:13:00, so it was a close one.  All I know is, I went as fast as I could and never looked behind me.  Actually, I could have gone faster...

We got nice medals with blue ribbons. I love stuff like this.  I’m competitive to the point of lunacy.  I can tell you this: I don’t remember much about my race. I was on auto pilot almost.  I was on a mission.  I was the epitome of living right now…right then.  Nothing else mattered, just getting over that course as fast as possible. I now know I can break 30 minutes and that will be my goal if they have the race again next year and I hope they do.  It was a great idea for a relay race, especially since the idea is to promote all these ways of enjoying the 5000+ acres in the Douglas State Forest and other trail systems.

This was my first “race” in a very long time.  I had to stop running due to bad knees.  I was heading to a point where I was going to need my right knee replaced.  I loved road races.  I’ll have to find at least one more race for this year…two more would be better.

This race again, was a great example of Right Now thinking.  A mountain bike race meditation!  It was about getting through that course as fast as possible, big ring most of the time in the woods, keeping the eyes open for obstacles on the trails and making sure to have plenty of momentum on the rolling uphills.  Of course, for me, it was also important to ride that course several times before race day.  This turned out to serve me well as many riders got lost due to poor planning and to be fair, the course could have been marked a bit better.

I’m sleeping over at the Zen Center Wednesday night.  I will have some info on that after…

Peace and clear mind…