Lia and others have pointed out that running is painful and a not altogether enjoyable experience. I both agree and disagree. It is definitely equal parts pain and elation, and most of the time I have my radio tuned in right between the two. If I wasn’t trying to qualify for Boston… I’d be tuning to the ‘runners high’ station more often.
After a run though… it is hard to not feel good. I mean… unless you are limping or cramping or dehydrated or have that powerful PANG you can feel in the pit of your stomach after a very long run. You know… the hunger so strong you are will to eat just about anything… including the stale crackers that have been in the back of the cupboard for 3 years. Of course… first you have to hobble yourself into the kitchen to get the food… and sometimes even that is too much of a chore.
But wait… after running it is great… and it is… there may be pain, but there is also a glow of accomplishment… a buzz sometimes… a general feeling of goodness. It may very well be the same feeling dying people go through as they ‘head toward the light’, brought on by a mixture of excessive exercise, nuclear radiation color sports drinks, lack or oxygen to the head and the collision of sound waves from the left and right IPod earbuds in the middle of the brain.
Ultimately, running is what you make of it. For me it is a bit of everything all rolled into one… for others… it may be something entirely different.
I managed to get another run in… albeit just six miles. I am supposed to be tapering now… and am… but I will run a bit more than scheduled to try to get my wind back.
1 comment:
I do not actually mind the pain. For that matter, I do not even hurt that much anymore, not even during big runs. I mean, whatever pain I feel is part of it. What are the muscles going to do after three or four hours of work? They are going to hurt, of course. You got to accept that.
It's not the pain itself that bothers me. It's the whole experience. I can't wait for it to be over. Part of it must be the altitude, I suppose, and I'll have a better read on that after I run Victoria at sea level.
But yes, once it's over it's great.
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