Color Run

This past Saturday, I participated in the 2017 Baltimore Color Run 5K. It was kind of lame.

First off, I should say that I did not train for this event. I knew it was coming and I always meant to run after work or on Saturdays, but I never got around to it. When the day of the run came, I was ill-prepared, but I still went through with it anyway.

For those unacquainted with the concept of a color run, it's like any other distance running event (in this case, a 5K), but runners are hit with colored chalk powder throughout the run. What does the addition of color offer that more mundane runs lack? As far as I can tell, just dirty clothes.

One of Leah's best friends, Rachel, wanted to participate in the run, but didn't want to do it alone, so Leah was roped in. After finding out that to register as a team they needed at least four members, I was roped in. I thought that color runs sounded completely stupid, but having not yet experienced one firsthand, I decided to be scientific about it and find out for myself.

It turns out they aren't as stupid as I thought. Perhaps a better way to put it is to say that color runs aren't for me, though I can see why other people might like them. The whole event was about having fun and being happy. Lots of participants wore rainbow-colored wigs, tutus, bandanas, and other clothing and entire families ran together. Throughout the run were signs reminding us to be happy. There was such an emphasis on it being fun that the event was not timed, though I did use an app to track my progress.

So, why didn't I care for the color run? Mostly because it added a lot unnecessary elements to something I already enjoy, so the main thing is obscured. Think of it like a bar of chocolate: if you add a few more ingredients like caramel and nougat, it can compliment the chocolate, but if you add too many ingredients like nuts, marzipan, and orange oil, it can hide what was originally the main attraction.

Not only that, but they only hit us with colored chalk powder four times, which seems too few times for something that's in the name. Yes, I realize that I'm complaining about not having enough of a thing that I didn't even like.

In the end, it was a new experience and it helped to start me exercising regularly again. I don't think I want to do another color run, but another regular 5K sounds like fun.

Our team (Holly, Rachel, me, and Leah) showing off our matching t-shirts, headbands, and temporary tattoos

After the running was over, we were given extra bags of powdered chalk to throw at each other

Team selfie with Holly's friend Lindsay

Any excuse to kiss this woman

Heck of a Week

I've had a rough week.  The sleep study threw me off, first by making it so I had to skip the gym and second by making me endure the anxiety of having a stranger touch my face and head as they attached electrodes.  Despite my best efforts, I was unable to make it to the gym the rest of the week.  I've mentioned before that exercise helps me keep my anxiety and depression in check and without it, I was drowning.  It got so bad that when I got to work yesterday, I felt like I was going to break down and cry at my desk.

I decided that I needed to do something, so I text messaged my home teacher and asked him for a blessing that evening.  I've been honest with him about my recent struggles, so he wasn't surprised and he agreed to meet me soon after I got home from work.  Throughout the rest of the day, I got a bit better and I was able to be productive (and I never cried).

When I got home, I was nervous about having a visitor since my apartment is not in great shape.  I keep my kitchen clean, but I haven't cleaned the rest of it in a while.  It's not filthy or anything, but there's clutter that needs to be taken care of.  Picking things up would probably only take about twenty minutes, but since I've had trouble leaving the house some days, having a clean apartment hasn't been a priority.  Still, I at least cleared off one of my couches in case he wanted to sit down.

I didn't have to wait long before there was a knock at my door.  I let in my home teacher, Rob, and a member of the Elder's Quorum presidency, Mike.  I thanked them for coming and explained that I suspected that my worsening symptoms might be caused by the nocebo effect (basically, since I found out about the side effects of levetiracetam, my symptoms caused by the medication have worsened).  They administered to me and I was told to turn to my family for strength and comfort and to remember that the ward is here to help me.  I instantly felt better.

After I got up and shook their hands, we chatted for about ten minutes.  They both have struggled with depression and offered some advice on how they cope (I also learned that Mike went to the MTC with an Elder who served in my mission, had a seizure while behind the wheel, and was sentenced to a year in jail.  I didn't remember the Elder's name, but the specifics were close enough that asked where the Elder served and, sure enough, it was Cleveland, Ohio.  Small world.).  As we chatted, we ended up making plans for a game night on Tuesday.  Who knew that depression could bring people together?

After Rob and Mike left, I decided to go for a run.  The weather was beautiful for this time of year, and I needed to do some exercising.  Since the sun was going down, I made sure to wear my reflective visibility vest so drivers would see me.  I was nearly done with my run when I got distracted, didn't watch where I was stepping, and tripped and fell.  It was weird because it seemed like nearly recovered three separate times before I finally met the pavement.  I skinned my right elbow, got some scrapes on my right leg, and I think I the bruised the palm of my right hand and part of my left foot (I won't know for sure for a couple of days).  All in all, it could have been much worse.  I was even able to run the rest of the way home.

There is one truly annoying thing that happened, though: I fell on my phone.  Since I don't have a fancy smart phone, it'll be easy and inexpensive to replace.  The good news is that my phone still works; the bad news is that with the screen busted, I can't send or receive texts (I mean, I can, but I won't be able to read them).  Even with the injuries and busted phone, I'm happy that I went running.

This week has not been an easy one, but I have reasons to believe that the future will be brighter.

Sweat it Out

After serving as a feast for the mosquitoes on Friday and Saturday, I went to work on Monday as an itchy, uncomfortable mess.  And since I got bit on both ankles, every time I moved my feet, my shoes rubbed against a bite.  It was so bad that on my lunch break, I went to the store to pick up some anti-itch cream, which only helped a little.

Frustrated, I decided to go for a run after work to sweat out the allergens -- which is actually not possible.  It's a commonly held myth that you can sweat out toxins, like from poison ivy or alcohol, but since the liver processes toxins, sweating more won't squeeze the bad stuff out the body.  So saunas are out, but exercise is different because it increases blood flow, forcing your blood to move through your body, including through you liver, meaning any processing will happen faster.

So I covered my exposed limbs with bug repellent and I ran.  I ran nearly 7 1/2 miles, despite the over 80 degree weather.  For the first couple of miles, I thought I would have to stop because the itching was driving me crazy.  But I kept running and the itching subsided and I eventually made it back home.  After a desperately needed shower, I looked at my bites.  Amazingly, the redness and swelling had gone down on every bite.  By the next day, I was only barely aware of the bites that covered my right leg.

I don't know if my understanding about why going on a run helped my bug bites is right or not, but the results are clear enough that I know what I'm doing the next time I'm dealing with itchy mosquito bites.

Apartment Pros and Cons

I like my new apartment, but there are some things that were nicer about my old place.  Here's a list of pros and cons regarding my new home.

Pro
It's close enough to my office that my commute is only about twelve minutes long.

Con
I have to figure out a new morning routine since I don't have enough time to listen to the scriptures on the way to work.

Pro
I'm halfway underground, which should make a huge difference in my heating/cooling bill.

Con
I'm no longer on the top floor, so I get to hear my neighbors whenever they move around, despite them not being particularly noisy.

Pro
The rent is much lower than my previous place, meaning I don't need a roommate in order to live comfortably.

Con
I'm not in as nice a neighborhood.  I don't fear for my safety or my property, but there's a reason this place is cheaper.

Pro
I get free access to a pool and a small gym.

Con
Being that the neighborhood isn't as nice, I don't have access to several miles of non-busy streets to go running on, so I may end up using the gym more often than I'd like (I ran for about an hour yesterday, but nearly all of it was spent on the sidewalk of a main road).

Pro
I've already found a tasty and inexpensive Chinese/Japanese restaurant within walking distance -- the only Chinese or Japanese places near my old place were either expensive, not very good, or both.

Con
I have yet to find any Korean restaurants in the area.  My old place had five or six Korean places nearby and they were all great.  Maybe I just haven't found it yet...

Pro
I'm where the Lord wants me to be.  I'd put a "Con" about how I'll miss my old ward, but that would make my complaint appear to have equal weight to the Lord's desires for me, which it does not.

So, while I'll miss certain things about my old place, it's nice that I've so quickly found things that I like about my new home.

Barking Dogs

Here's something to not try: run 7 ½ on a Saturday morning and then offer your help to a friend who has you mow his rather large lawn.  I know, I know: it seems like a fine plan, but if you try it out, you'll barely be able to stand by the end of the incredibly long day.

Thank goodness Sunday is the day of rest.

Like Driving on a Flat

I ran fifteen miles last week, though I split it between two days.  I also bought some new running shoes in an attempt to better protect my tweaked left knee.  Despite the fact that I should know better, I wore my new shoes without first breaking them in.

Ew.

When I came in from my run on Saturday, I had four blisters and two almost-blisters on my feet.  I lanced, drained, and bandaged everything because I still got to walk and walking with squishy pustules isn't practical.  You might think this would have stopped me from running this week, but nope!  On Monday, I ran another 7.5 miles and came home to lance, drain, and bandage my feet again.

I've written before about why running is important to me, so despite the annoying interactions my feet are having with my new shoes, I don't plan on stopping any time soon.

Rain, Rain, You Can Stay

After my knee problems on Monday, you'd think I'd hold off on running again this week, right?  No, sir or madam, I did not.  My knee made an audible "pop" sound Wednesday evening and nearly all of the pain I'd been feeling disappeared.  And since Thursday's weather looked so nice, I decided to go for another run, this time wearing the knee brace.

Just as I was starting my run, I noticed that the sky looked a little darker than I had first noticed.  I remembered that I had seen that there was a chance of showers that evening, but only 50%.  So I ran.  My knee felt fine and once again, it felt great being outside pounding pavement.  When I was a little past the halfway mark, it starting lightly sprinkling.  My fastest option home was just to finish, so I picked up the pace a little.  The rainfall increased to the point that by the time I made it home, the front of my shirt was damp all the way through, though I wasn't actually dripping.  I also wasn't in danger of hypothermia since the rain didn't really get heavy until right at the end.

I had barely stepped inside when I got a text message.  My friend, Lori, asked if I could come by to administer a priesthood blessing to her husband who was having an asthma attack.  I immediately turned around to head out the door, but first, I told Samuel to put on his shoes and come with me.  Even though Samuel hadn't been invited, I thought that bringing him would be appropriate and it would give him a chance to participate in a blessing for the first time (he only recently received the Melchizedek Priesthood).

We arrived, me in my wet running clothes, and were warmly welcomed.  After a quick explanation from Mark on what was ailing him, we administered the blessing, with Samuel anointing and me sealing.  Mark was clearly grateful and gave us each a big bear hug.  Not wanting to get in the way of his recovery, we soon left to go home, with Samuel talking excitedly about how he got to be involved.

These stories are connected in more than just their sequence.  My original plan had been to run two loops again, like last time, which would have taken me over an hour.  I did have my cell phone on me, but with my earbuds in and my legs constantly moving, the chances that I would have either heard or felt my phone (I have it set to both chime and vibrate) are low.  If the rain hadn't come, I probably would have lost the opportunity to exercise my priesthood and help a dear friend.  I was annoyed at the rain when it first started, but now I'm grateful it came.

Safety and Discomfort

I've been contacted by multiple family members, checking on me because of the riots that are happening in Baltimore right now.  To those that haven't asked but want to know: I am safe.  I don't live near, work near, or commute through any of the areas that are affected.

In fact, I was so oblivious to what was happening in the city that I decided to enjoy the sunshine on Monday by going for a run.  I've been staying fit by running on a treadmill at the gym during the winter, but there's just something special about running outside.  Once I started, I enjoyed it so much that when I finished my normal loop, I ran it again.  That's right, I ran 7.5 miles on little more than a whim (and I did it 67 minutes).

However.

The next morning I woke up with my left knee in pain.  I put on a knee brace and tried to stay off it, but it felt like I had twisted it pretty hard.  The fact that it's my left knee seems important.  About twelve years ago, when I was on my mission, I was hit by a bus while I was crossing the street.  Being a missionary, I was divinely protected and the only injury I sustained was my left knee was badly bruised.  So, I experienced a miracle and walked away from something that could have crippled me for life.  In fact, it's taken a dozen years for me to experience any negative side effects.  Not a bad deal.

Where does that leave me now?  My knee feels a lot better than it did yesterday and I plan on wearing the knee brace on my next run.  If that doesn't help, I'll see my doctor to discuss my options.  I'll stop running if I have to, but I want to know what other options I have.  For now, I'll just try to take it easy.

Side Effects

Due to a mix-up at work, I didn't sign up for my benefits when I was supposed to.  Luckily, I have a very patient HR director that was willing to help get everything worked out.

I bring this up because I only got my prescription card this week.  Since I had to wait for my card, I wasn't up-to-date on my anti-seizure medication.  I hadn't been on it since a little before Christmas, but as long as I monitored my blood-sugar level, I was fine.

At least I was until last week.  While at the gym on Saturday, I had a minor aphasia.  I was on the treadmill at the time and it wasn't severe enough to make me get off, but I did have to slow down.  I figured it was just my blood-sugar being low from the exertion.  Then I had another one at my desk on Monday.  It was still a little one, but it started making me nervous.

I'd had had two more tiny ones on Tuesday by the time I made it home to find my prescription card in the mailbox.  I immediately went to the pharmacy to get my medication.  I haven't had another aphasia since I got my prescription.

What I have had, however, is noticeable fatigue.  One of the side effect I experience during the first week or two of getting back on my meds is feeling tired.  It's not exactly drowsiness or sleepiness (though it is much harder getting up in the morning), it's just generally feeling run down.  The last time I went through this when I first got on my meds a little over a year ago, I got over it in a couple of weeks, so I'm expecting the same thing to happen this time.

It's annoying, but at least it's temporary.

The Hills

The running route that I take around my neighborhood has three hills.  Recently, I decided to give the three hills names and I thought they were amusing enough to share.

Faith - Faith is the first hill on my route.  It's average in size, but always a bit more annoying than you last remember.

Jonah - Jonah is much bigger than you think just by looking at it and it's really easy to get tired of.

Maria - Maria is so small, it's practically imaginary.

It's kind of weird personifying geographical features by giving them names, but it's kind of fun.  And even though everyone won't agree with me, running is fun, so it fits.

New Route

Now that Summer weather is upon us, running outside is getting harder.  Even when I take extra care to be hydrated, it's still a lot harder to run in near 90 degree heat than when it was cooler.  And since I get a form of heat rash when I get too hot, sweating out in the heat can be extremely uncomfortable.  However, I know that even in the heat, running helps me clear my head and prevents episodes like I had on Saturday, so what do I do?

For Monday's run, I decided to take a different route, skipping one of my favorite parts: Murder Hill.  That's what I affectionately call the steepest hill on my normal route at about the halfway point.  Seriously, this thing is ridiculously step, like a 50 degree angle (is that steep? I really don't know).  It's certainly steeper than the hill I grew up on and had to regularly walk up after being dropped off by the bus after school.  So I skipped Murder Hill and you know what?  I missed it.  It takes grit to keep running up a crazy-steep hill and I didn't have that extra challenge.  Weird as it may seem, having that huge obstacle makes the rest of the run easier, even though there are still more hills to climb.

(I feel like there's a metaphor here about big obstacle make smaller obstacles more bearable.)

While I am mostly happy that I maintained my habit of going on my run, I am a bit disappointed that I didn't take my normal route.  When I go for my next run, I'll be sure the take my old route and run up Murder Hill.

Roommates Say the Darnedest Things

I came in from a run yesterday and Samuel, attempting to be friendly, asked me a question:

"You go for walkies?"

Perhaps we need to have a talk about idioms.

Running Update

I was starting to be better about running regularly again when it suddenly got ridiculously cold throughout most of the US.  With a week off due to the cold (I can only put on so many layers before running becomes difficult), I was afraid that I would slide back into my rut.  Which I did almost immediately by missing my run on Tuesday, the first day that wasn't freeze-the-blood-in-your-veins cold.  I really ran with much better consistency when I was employed.

So, to improve my exercise routine, I became employed.  It's nothing exciting, just a temp job for a few days working on inventory for a company that I had never heard of (that's actually the parent company of several brands I'm familiar with) that's dealing with flood damage after a pipe burst during the Great Chill of 2014.  However, in a surprising turn, my first day on the job (Wednesday) I did push-ups again and yesterday I went for a run.  Apparently, I need structure in my life to be healthy and productive.  I'm not shocked that having some structure again has improved things, just at how quickly the change happened.  I didn't even have to go to work - just get ready in preparation for it - to see immediate results in my well-being.

Also, since the holidays are behind us, I've finally started getting calls about the applications I've been putting in.  No interviews yet, but at least something is happening (I have been in contact with Prometric and it'll be a few weeks before they get their budget and they know when I can come back; I'd love to go back, but if something else comes up in the meantime, I'll take it).  I need a job so that I can get back to living a normal, healthy life (and get rid of my kummerspeck).  Hopefully I'll be able to report good news very soon.

Recovering What's Missing

I had my seizure back in the ides of November and since then, I haven't been able to exercise.  While this was a problem while I was working, it's been an issue of growing concern since I started my time off.  As I have mentioned here before, exercise, especially running, is therapeutic for me.  When I regularly go running, I handle my stress better and I maintain a better sleep schedule.  Losing my ability to go running, meant that I lost a piece of myself.

I've thought a lot about self-identity since my move to Maryland, and I realized that one way that I define myself is as a runner.  I never would have mentioned that if asked, until I lost it.  It's an outdated line from an old song, but it's true: "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone."

Thankfully, I've started running again.  I still have some pain in my left shoulder, but thanks to the advice from a member of the ward who's a doctor, it's gone way down.  I was worried that the stress from running would make things worse, but with the inflammation reduced, I felt that I could give it a try.  On Saturday, I went on my regular route of 3.75 miles.  My time was lousy, as I knew it would be, but it felt great to be pounding the pavement once again.  I was so sore on Monday that I had trouble moving, but I went again yesterday, despite the pain (though, as someone pointed out to me, it's a "good pain").  I plan on keeping it up.

While things won't be back to normal until I start working again, a small but important piece of myself has been found.

Cold Run

Last night I went for my usual evening run, but it was very different.

For one, it was already twilight when I started, which meant that it was dark by the time I finished.  This made my run a lot more dangerous than usual, not because of the cars because I'm certain they could see me okay due to the light-colored clothing I was wearing (although I should probably invest in a reflective vest or some other article of clothing to be on the safe side), but rather the danger came from not being able to see properly.  I kept thinking I was going to trip on some unseen thing, which made me nervous and made the run a little less enjoyable.

The other thing that was new was that I was running in the cold.  When I first started running outside in Oklahoma, it was spring, so I didn't have to worry about bundling up.  Then I moved back to So Cal where winters don't exist (which I like just fine), so I didn't have to worry about bundling up.  Now, Maryland doesn't experience the same temperature fluctuations that Oklahoma does, but it still gets all four seasons (a shame, I know).  Anyway, I had to wear a long sleeve shirt and a hat (bandana, but same principle) so that I wouldn't catch cold; I still wore shorts.  The weirdest thing was how little I sweated.  After a run, my shirt is usually soaked through; this time, there were only a couple of patches of wetness.  Running in the crisp, cool air kept my body temperature down so sweating as means of thermoregulation was almost completely unnecessary.

The weather may be changing, but my desire to keep running is not.

Shorties 3

As a refresher, here are parts one and two.

The March of Progress
In preparation for some of my upcoming interviews, I bought a new flash drive so I could more easily print files at local business that provide that service.  The last flash drive I had was the size of a small pack of gum and had a storage capacity of 256 MB (which I never even came close to filling up).  This new one is the size of my thumb from the tip to the first knuckle and holds 8 GB.  I'm also pretty sure that that this new one is cheaper than the last one, too.

Just a Little Off the Top
To further prepare for interviews, I got a haircut this week.  I went to a nearby barber that I think mostly caters to older men (based on both the customers and the employees), but I figured that a basic business haircut wouldn't be too hard.  While I would have preferred it a bit shorter, it looks fine.  One weird thing, though: he cleaned up my right sideburn, but completely shaved off left one.  I guess he forgot halfway through?

Everybody's Doing It
I went running yesterday, as per usual, and I was pleased to see at least half a dozen people running on the same route.  It was nice to see that other people in my neighborhood enjoy one of the same activities that I regularly enjoy.

Handcrafted
Being that I am working to save money where possible, I made chicken soup on Wednesday.  I had already saved the bones of three whole chickens in the freezer so I could make stock whenever, which I did on Tuesday.  To the stock I added sauteed onions, garlic, and celery, chopped carrots, chicken, and parsley, and finally egg noodles.  I'm not even a big fan of soup, but homemade soups (regardless of the chef) seem to hit the spot for me.

Busy Weekend
On Saturday, I'm attending the temple in the morning to help officiate in baptisms.  We're meeting at the Temple at 7 am, so it's really early for a Saturday, but it'll be worth it.  On top of that, the Ward is having a dinner for the sisters before the Relief Society broadcast that evening and I'll be a server for the event.  Giving up most of my Saturday might normally be a sacrifice, but right now I would simply be selfish if I didn't make myself available.

Rain or Shine

Yesterday, as I was preparing for my evening run, I noticed storm clouds looming menacingly overhead.  Considering that I had had such success last week at stopping the rain with faith and a prayer, I didn't think too much of it.  I finished stretching and hit the pavement.

Before I was even a quarter of the way into my run, I started to feel a few drops of moisture fall on me.  I ignored it since a few sprinkles wasn't really enough to hinder anything.  Then it started to rain ever so lightly.  I thought to myself that this wasn't right: if I was having faith that the Lord would stop the rain, he should stop it.  Then I got a prompting that explained what was happening: "But if not..."

During the April 2004 General Conference, there was a wonderful talk given by Dennis E. Simmons of the Seventy that has remained one of my favorites ever since (seriously, if you aren't familiar with this talk, go and read it).  The talk references when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were threatened with death if they did not worship the idols of the king. As Daniel 3:17-18 says:

If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

These three had faith enough to fear God more than idols and believed that he would save them from suffering death by fire, but even if he did not, their faith was not shaken.

Being reminded of this, I decided that while it would be nice to finish my run in dry weather, if it started raining it would not affect my faith or my testimony.  And rain it did.  I would say that for about half of my run, it was coming down at a nice, solid medium-level of rainfall.  I even heard thunder.  It was not ideal, but my clothes were going to be soaked either way and I didn't feel unsafe at any time during the run.

About thirty minutes after I got home, the rain completely stopped.  It would appear that I needed to learn a lesson.

Faith Sufficient

One of the days that I like to go running is Saturday.  This last Saturday, however, it was raining and I thought that I wouldn't be able to go.  Worse things have happened, of course, but since I had already missed my run on Thursday, I really didn't want to miss another run that week.

A thought occurred to me.  The Savior taught:

"And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you" (Matthew 17:20)

If it only takes a grain of mustard seed to move mountains, how much faith is needed to stop the rain?  I prayed and explained how important this run was for me (I needed to take out the trash in my head), and asked Heavenly Father that he would grant unto me faith sufficient to stop the rain.  At the time that I prayed, I had about three hours before the time that I usually run, so in addition to exercising my faith, I also got to exercise being patient.

Of course, after only about an hour, the rain lighted up significantly and it even completely stopped by the time I was ready to go running.  The ground was still wet, there were some puddles that I had to avoid, and I even got sprinkled on a few times, but it was dry enough for my purposes.

While this experience didn't change my thoughts or feelings in a significant way, it did help to strength my faith and appreciation in God.  I hope it can do the same you.

Don't Just Sit There

I've been facing quite a bit of stress at work lately.  I won't go into it here, but suffice it to say that I come home extra tired.  The way I reacted to this has been to stop exercising.  I had been doing crunches every morning and push-ups on the days that I wasn't planning on running in the evening, but being so worn out, I devoted that energy in the morning to simply getting ready.  It was okay for the first week, but last week I actually didn't run once, not even on Saturday.  And instead of getting to work early like I had been, I was pushing it close to actually being late.

I finally got over that this week.  Perhaps it was the frustration of visiting the ER again, but I started up on abs in the morning along with push-ups on certain days and I even ran yesterday evening.  I wish I could say that I feel 100% better and that the difference was immediate, but life is rarely that simple.  What I can say is that it feels good to be active again.  And since I do get heat rash, doing activities that raise my body temperature can be quite uncomfortable, but these activities are still important to do.  I've said before that I clear my head when I go for my runs and I'm sure I'm not doing myself any favors by allowing everything to pile up in my head.

While I didn't need this experience to know that managing stress is a balancing act between eustress and distress, it did help to get the reminder.

The Joy of Running

As I was running around the neighborhood on Saturday, I felt inspired that my next blog post should be about running.  I wondered why this was, but it was the act of wondering that brought me to my answer.

Running is the most basic of activities.  Clara and Henry both love running around while laughing wildly.  There doesn't need to be anything added to the activity for it to be completely and totally engaging for them.  This is not a unique experience for children.  I remember when I was a child that running was part of several activities that were some of my favorites (Tag, Hide 'n' Seek, Red Light/Green Light, etc.).

Running is also difficult to be good at.  What I mean by that is that beyond childhood, running does not come naturally.  I've been running off and on for about a year now and every time that I take any kind of break, I lose a lot of progress that I had made.  For example, when I was running around Boomer Lake in Stillwater, I worked my way up to about a seven-and-a-half minute-per-mile pace.  I've been running here in Maryland for about six weeks and I've nearly made it to an eight mpm pace.  I'm shaving seconds off every time I run, but I've still got quite a ways to go to make it back up to where I was.  Why was it so easy as a kid but it's so hard as an adult?  Part of it is that as a kid, I never ran very far.  Short bursts of speed around the playground or backyard was all I was interested in.  Distance running is a very different creature.  In a sprint, I can run much fast than the eight mpm, but I can't maintain that for very long.  Part of the art of distance running is figuring out what pace to go.

Running is a race - against yourself.  I am not a competitive person.  As long as I do my best, I am happy with my efforts, even if I lose (which is why I can't do sales).  When running, there's always a part of me that wants to stop or at least slow down; since I have some breathing problems (likely due to an undiagnosed deviated septum), this part of me is hard to ignore.  But there's also a part of me that wants to finish quickly and beat my last time.  Part of the attraction to running is that as time goes on, the second voice wins more and more often.  I've only run in one race as an adult (but I think I'll run another 10K this summer) and I didn't care that there were lots of people that passed me as I ran.  I was happy to just do my best and ignore the part of me that wanted to stop.

I wrote this post because I know that there are some of my audience that know the joy that comes from running, but I also know that there are some who simply think of running as something that is hard and not for them.  I would encourage you to give running another try.  I hope that I've made it clear that running is hard, even for someone like me who enjoys it.  But a lot of worthwhile and good things are hard.  I think running is one of them.  (I've also mentioned another reason I like running before.)