Running Thoughts — 7 Miles

Brian Martin
Jul 30, 2017 · 2 min read

Today was another Sunday Runday — Long Run this week was 7 miles. I have not actually run this distance in over a year. The longest I had done up until this point within the last year had been 5 miles. I knew that the distance was not beyond my reach, but it was definitely unknown how succesful I was going to be at completing it.

Miles 1–3 were the toughest of the bunch. My new running shoes, never having been along with me on a run with me before, were slowly learning my running and stride pattern. It made for an uncomfortable first half of this long run, but thankfully I was able to push through it mentally and not let it deter me from continuing.

Miles 4–7 were some of the best I have run in a long time. They felt so natural, and so dare I say easy. Not in the sense that they were effortless physically, but in that they did not need to be fought for. They just happened, and they were a natural extension of what I have done so far.

I have heard it many times, “what do you think about when you are running?” “I could never run that long, it would be so boring.” And so on. I consider myself to be very lucky in that I can just let my mind wander and wind between thoughts like winding through the trees on the path.

The topics are as wildly varied as you might imagine…how nice the sun feels, how much I want pizza, that one time in college, how excited I am for the marathon, how much I want a cheesesteak…

You get the idea. My daily life is filled with decisions about my job, my friends, my family, my own personal desires and ambitions…all things that take a considerable amount of effort and time.

Running is the one time when I can ignore all of that, for just a little while. Where I can think whatever I want to, daydream about where I want to go in life, but also to reminisce and learn from the past, and push myself to be better in the future. Running is my chance to be part of something so much more than daily troubles in all areas of my life. No matter what, it is something I will always have.

This week is my first peak, 4–4–4–8 mile runs over the next 7 days. And as I sit here and look out my window, 7 miles under my belt and I should be exhausted, I find myself wanting to put on my shoes and put a few more miles in the books for today. But I must resist the urge, training is half the training and half rest. So until then,

Keep running —

Brian Martin

In training for the Philadelphia Marathon. I like to run, write and talk about fitness. ACE Certified Personal Trainer. 🏃 Instagram: bmart692

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade