Lacing up the running shoes

I do love a good run. Having been following this pattern since college days, it feels comfortable to fall into the rhythm that is running. Shorts and top on, socks on, laces tight and double-knotted. Hat on. Let's go!

Running is no different from any sport: there is a lot of hype around bouncing back from injury and recovering after a series of losses. What moves build strength to support glutes and knees and hamstrings. There are a lot of opinions about how to best stick it out through pain and grind through miles. I mean, no surprise, there is a lot of bad, short-sighted advice out there.

It is good to know what works for you. To stretch before or after (or not at all). To use compression socks, or running socks, or barefoot. To glide or not to glide (not all of us chafe, right). Drag your hydration with or not. Hair up or down. Honestly, running is one of those less-is-more sorts of activities, if you ask me. The beauty of it is that you really only NEED minimal equipment and your body.

But this week I felt that spark in me—that need to progress—and I wanted to take on this route. It isn't as though I have taken breaks from running or struggled with an injury. The big change is the transient nature of the past few months ( moving from our last post through R&R stateside through what felt like endless AirB&Bs and hotels, through long flights and travel days and jetlag, arriving to the here and now of this new-to-me hot, dry climate). My legs are tired from the three flights of stairs and no carpets. My head is tired from lack of sleep. My days are jammed with trying to unsnarl what the normal ebb and flow of studying for another degree, being present for my family here and back stateside, and finding my space in my new community.

Maybe the best space and place to be is on the porch, lacing up running shoes, ready to set out. I am not an indoor runner. I equate running on a treadmill to waterboarding, but that is what works best for others. This week, I feel the need to progress.

As I said, I didn't really take time off from running over these last few months. f I were a competitive athlete, I would now tell you the story of how I refocused and got back into my rhythm. I would tell you how I successfully compartmentalized any issues or hangups. I would tell you how dedicated I am. But I am not a competitive athlete; I am just a runner. The truth is: I am pushing myself because I just decided I was tired of autopilot. I was tired of giving myself grace so that I could focus on other things. Other things are bullshit; other things are boring.

Let's go run.

What could be more interesting than seeing how you can handle a challenge you set up yourself? What could be more absorbing than a puzzle that only you can solve? That’s what running is at this level. It is not not a competition; it is barely a sport. It is a conversation with yourself and your landscape. There is no comeback because there is no destination. There is only you, and your breath, and the time and attention you give yourself. And moving.

Go run.