Running and Writing: Day 4
Today is February 22, 2017 and I have run a total of 7.41 miles over the past 4 days.
I can see how running can be addicting. The way I felt after I completed my first run was nothing short of a high. I immediately thought: “This must be why people run. It’s like a healthy drug.” And it’s not just a mental high of accomplishing something you set out to do, as great as that is, but it’s [obviously] also a physical high of adrenaline pulsating through your body. But alas, that’s what working out does. Such is science.
Though after day 3 of running, I also 100% remembered why it’s so easy to stop. And I’m reminded why I haven’t kept up running consistently in the past.
1) Over the weekend the weather was perfect. Lower 70s and sunny. They were beautiful days to wake up and start your day with a run without feeling any lack of motivation.
But on the third day, the weather was not as nice. Winter reared its ugly head and reminded me that it isn’t yet spring. Cue me not really wanting to go outside.
2) Deciding to run on a weekend where I had nothing else to do is a gross anomaly from my usual jam-packed weekly schedule. So instead of the Folger’s commercial-esque scenery of waking up without an alarm, stretching my arms back with a smile and saying “Ah, let me get up for my daily run.” It’s more like *presses snooze 10 times before waking up, get to work late, work all day, drive an hour to attend a three-hour class then drive another 30 minutes to finally get home* “Ugh, I’m supposed to run today.”
3) I’m sore as fuck. I walk around like there’s something between my legs that shouldn’t be there. I have to plan to stand up 30 minutes in advance to give myself enough time to complete the strenuous task. Stairs look like hell exists in both directions. And somehow, I’m still supposed to manage to run.
Small anecdote: I visited NYC countless times over this past summer. Several of my really good friends live up there and NYC in the summer time is magical. You get full blown amnesia about how terrible the winters are up there and the reminder is no fun. Now equate that to your first day running (summer in NYC) to your 3rd day running (winter in NYC).
I found that writing is the exact same way. The first day, once you get the ball rolling, always feels great. You usually set yourself up real nice by finding a nice spot in a cute coffee shop. You buy a brand new journal, you pull out your favorite pen — everything is ready to go. Then you write, and words actually appear on the page. And say what? You wrote for the period of time you said you were going to? Success has been reached. You’re feeling great about yourself. You feel accomplished, and you should. Unfortunately, the battle isn’t on the first day. Or even the second. The battle is on the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh day. When everything isn’t in perfect order and you still have to write. When you’ve seemed to have lost all knowledge of words and their meanings and you still have to write. When your self-doubt gets louder and the criticisms get more frequent in your mind — and you still have to write.
The battle is uphill. And the only way to win the war is to just keep on going. So I’m going to fight through this soreness and fatigue and keep running. And the same goes for writing.
Today is February 22, 2017 and I’ve written for the past 4 days.