I like to run. I know it sounds obvious - I do triathlons therefore I must like running. But seriously. At first I ran for fitness. Then I got addicted to the feeling of accomplishment at the end of every run. Now, I've learned to just like the exercise in itself. Through years of running, all the ups and downs of college, and months of ironman training, my mind has reached some twisted state where I actually enjoy the feeling of all my parts working together to propel me forward. I love that part of the run where it all starts to hurt.
In high school, I ran for distance. I had my easy three-miler, my regular ol' six-mile loop, and the ten-miler that always got in my head. Trail running was always bittersweet for me. While I got such a rush from being in nature and the constant challenge of the terrain, never knowing exactly how far I went ruined that joyous experience of adding up my weekly mileage every Sunday. When I was running, I would think about writing that number in the log book and that would keep me going. I never even liked to wear my watch - thinking about paces stressed me out way too much. At the end of a good run, I wanted to just feel like it was a good run, not look at my watch and define by a number that it was not a good run.
Triathlon gave me a new perspective, and ironman training really changed the way I saw running. Training became all about hours, not miles, so I started running for time instead of distance. I really took to it quickly. That six mile loop might take longer some days, but an hour always takes the same amount of time. It added some seriousness to my training. When I ran on roads I had mapped out, I always knew my pace. On days when I didn't run measured routes, I explored new places. Trail running became my new favorite activity. I didn't feel like timing was becoming any sort of burden, until today.
I'm in a strange place right now. Right before the end of my semester, I find myself on the tail end of recovery and the beginning of spring base-building. I'm not even sure what kind of workouts that entails. So today I just went for a run. I ran a five-mile route I used to run all the time as a freshman. Today was a rare gem where I found myself on no particular schedule until the afternoon, so I took advantage of the free morning to run errands then go for a relaxing jog. I know I left the house around 10:30... or maybe 10:45? And I know I got out of the shower at 11:45. But I have no idea what my running time was. I accidentally, and miraculously, left the watch at home.
At every stop light, I grabbed my wrist to press the stop button that wasn't there. I felt so naked. It was as though I was taking my first steps after a long bedrest or after losing twenty pounds. A weight had definitely been lifted. I didn't think about time. Or distance, really. I just ran. It ended when it ended. And without any sense of time, I just enjoyed running. Downtown LA did not provide me with clean air or nice scenery, but I literally just enjoyed the motion. And that's when you know you like running.
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