Friday, June 8, 2012

Fitness Friday.....For the Love of the Game

"How do you flip the internal switch that changes us all back into the Natural Born Runners we once were?  Not just in history, but in out own lifetimes...Back when you were a kid and you had to be yelled at to slow down?  Every game you played, you played at top speed, sprinting like crazy as you kicked cans, freed all, and attacked jungle outposts in your neighbors' backyards....That was the real secret of the Tarahumara: they'd never forgotten what it felt like to love running." Christopher McDougall "Born to Run"

Where do you stand on running?  Do you love it....live it....hate it....reluctant to try it?  Just the subject of running can send a room to different corners, each convinced that their way is their life.  I love to run....and there are days where I live it too.  However, there are times when I need to recheck my motivation....stoke the fire periodically when I lose sight of what it is running should be.

In a rare moment the other day I had a half hour before when my hubby and daughter were heading off for the day and I was heading home from the gym (on days I take off it is just easier if Em doesn't know I'm around).  I headed to the beach with an iced decaf Dunkins and relaxed while I sipped and read "Born to Run".  This book sits in my car on the chance that I am early for something and waiting.  I can catch up on Caballo Blanco and the famed Tarahumara.  The section that I read was about the Tarahumara and aside from their amazing running ability, how running for them was about the joy....not the endorsements, not the fame, and not the stuff.  McDougall went into talking about the runners in the 70s with Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers.  They were outcasts who loved to run....and did...amazing amounts of miles a week...two-three times a day!  They did it for the love of the sport.

This made me think about why I run....why some people's torture is my fun.  I love to run like I loved playing softball.  It gets inside you and lights you up.  The past few years I have run for many different reasons....run away from troubles...run to lose the baby weight....run for time...run for goals...run to escape life....run to gain life.  There were times when the joy of running were gone and the goal was stronger than the joy.  One thing about being pregnant and running for me has been I catch myself just smiling (not always) thankful that I am still pounding the pavement.  I'm thankful that God has blessed me with this ability to run during my pregnancy....as slow as it may be!  It's not easy....it certainly isn't graceful....but it's running and I love it!

What about you???  Do you find joy in running?

10 comments:

  1. I love what you said about running during pregnancy, it is such a different part of running, but so enjoyable at the same time :)

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  2. I loved Born to Run- great quote! I loved the reminder to run for the love of it, which is how I get started, but along the way it's easy to get distracted with goals, training plans, comparisons, etc. Thanks for this reminder!

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  3. I love this!!! It's so true when we were little we ran everywhere we went! :)
    Where I stand with running is... I miss it! I can do every other kind of exercise without pain, but the minute I run, my hip has been bothering me. I have been strengthening my legs to help and I am hoping to get back to it soon... in the mean time kick boxing, elliptical, biking, ect will just have to do! :)

    I love the pic of all your shoes in your header!

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  4. I find an immense amount of joy in running! That, more than anything else, keeps me coming back.

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  5. great topic! I think I love running! Its hard for me to come to terms will calling myself a "runner" but yes, I run! I think I feel the same, it gives me a sense of accomplishment with each step, and coming from an overweight childhood, it helps me feel capable and know that ANYTHING is possible! I like competing with myself, and nobody else! My boys run non-stop, so I hope they find a love of running for their health and happiness like my husband and I do!

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  6. I love Julie - she's a Cincinnati girl (my hometown) =)

    Running brings me tons of joy!

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  7. The joy of running is what keeps me running. Growing up playing sports where running was always punishment made me hate running. After graduating from high school I rarely ran and it wasn't until last May that running became fun for me. Now I love it!

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  8. I used to HATE running...but I ran because I knew it was good for me. This time around (I took a few years off....) I love running. It's funny because my finding the JOY in running, has made me a better runner. Each step makes me happy-instead of just feeling happy at completion. I also LOVE the running community. They are some of the best folks I've ever run across. (pun intended)

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  9. I find enormous joy in running. I understand why people don't like it because I used to be like them when I was younger. It's hard and it takes a while to get to that place of joy. Most people aren't willing to take that time. But, once you do, you are hooked and I wish that for everyone.

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  10. I love how strong I feel when I run. I love the creativity born during almost all of my runs. I love the feeling that I get during a run that I can conquer anything.

    Yep, I dig it.

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