Running - The never ending chase of our best selves.

 Welcome and thanks for taking the time to be here. As I write this I’m learning that inspiration has an expiry. The only way to combat this time sensitive subject is to attack when the idea is hot. So now I’m sort of back pedaling and trying to find the spark that was ignited and allowed me to write the caption for this here post. 

The expiration goes for the inspiration to tie your shoes and get out the door. Personally it has to be first thing or I can always find a million excuses as to why I should skip the thing that brings me so much peace and joy. The past two weeks have had a lot of marathon action and seeing my friends and our community get out there and chase down goals is so inspiring.

While a specific time is the usual goal in a marathon and seeing people get there is amazing, I find it more inspiring to see people give it their all and miss the mark by only a few minutes. That right there is what keeps us coming back again and again. This is the perfect metaphor for life itself. Running allows us to keep searching for the best versions of ourselves and these set backs can either light a fire or bury us.

Something I read and kept in my mind on one of my first races was this quote “ you are not being buried, you’re being planted.” We are just a little seed that one day will become a beautiful flower.  The human spirit in the race situations is an incredible thing to witness. When your entire being is screaming that you are done and cannot go any further, time and time again we can prove ourselves wrong. The finish line is the place where you see this all unfold in real time.

Legs shut down, bodies collapse and the heart finally has a moment to catch up with itself. The final 200 m feels like a million miles. In this moment we swear, never again. I could have just been chilling on my couch and I chose to do this to myself? Once the lactic acid settles and we can navigate stairs in a semi normal fashion we again choose to chase the never ending task of realizing our personal limits.

I always ask myself if this running craze will die down and nobody will show up to runclub. Which then brings up the question of why people come to run club in the first place? “People like us, doing things like this” is the best marketing tool available. Running together allows us to be seen, be inspired and build a global community of people all working towards the same thing. It’s not a sub 3 hour marathon or a 20 minute 5 km. It’s our ability to prove to ourselves that if we put in the hard work in life that we are capable of absolutely anything.

My gratitude for this community and the people who make it is sky high. Thank you for showing up and I hope we can continue this long road together towards our goals.

See ya for a run and coffee soon.

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