The Runs

No, not that kind of runs, running runs.

As you probably know I am preparing for an epic pilgrimage in Spain on the Camino de Santiago, and one of the things I am doing to prepare is running. Let me be clear, I am NOT running through Spain, and certainly not running with any livestock. But it’s a long walk, I thought I might need more stamina. And as it turns out the altitude of Spain is a bit higher than Louisiana, so the ability to breathe while walking at couple of thousand feet will no doubt be handy. A friend suggested running.

I did the couch to 5k app on my phone. I joined a running class, which reinforced the stuff the app had instructed. All that led up to my first official 5k, the Riverside 5, which is a night run along the river in the neighboring town. You can run 5k or 5 miles, I ran the 5k. And I finished. Ran the entire way. Was very proud. And addicted! The heat of the summer got me a little off track, but with the cool of fall I was back at it, and then headed indoors to the treadmill through winter.

Now I am not fast, slow and steady finishes the run. There are people walking that pass me, and that’s okay. I set a goal for myself this year to run 6 5k official runs, one 5 mile run and 2 10k runs (notice I call them runs, not races). I am about to run my fourth official run of the year, with one more to go before I skip the country. I hope that while I am away that I can still do a little running, after the walking is all done.

Here is the thing. I really like the way that it makes me feel, and, yes, there is the whole discipline thing, too. But mostly I feel invigorated after a run. It is a sweet rush. It gives me some alone time, yes, I am that slow. But I also get the company of lots of folks who appreciate the joy of being out there. Mostly it proves that if you decide you can do something, and put yourself into it, you can actually accomplish it.

My brother asked, “you’re not going to be one of those people with a 13.1 sticker on your car, are you?” Don’t know, maybe.