Running Update

As you can see, to add a little spice to this bet and my sad, sad life, I have added a poll on the sidebar and a progress column I will update daily. As you can see, for this week (which started last Thursday) I have already used my two days off and need to run the next two days or I am already eliminated! Shouldn't be a problem though.

Three running observations I have had thus far:
1. Running is hard.
-No shocker there. Seriously, when you are starting out, your body just has no desire to run AT ALL! When I ran a few weeks ago while camping with Devin I almost threw up. That can't be healthy! I'm starting to feel better with today's run although it was difficult after the hike on Saturday. I'm hoping to feel a little better with every run. We shall see.

2. Running is painful.
-The first few times, (which has spanned over the last month), every muscle in my body hurt, especially the muscles in my back which love to spasm while running. Thankfully, those have gone away and I can relax more while I run now. That doesn't stop my knees from hurting. I'm not sure running is the best thing for guys (like myself) that have already had two knee surgeries and who's doctor after surgery told him that at some point your ACL will definitely tear because it's horribly loose. Hmmm.

3. Running is a mental contest.
-Our bodies are able to do SO much more than we think they can. That's why it's a constant battle to not stop when it gets painful or difficult. I am trying my hardest to push through the pain in this contest. Today was a good example! It was cold, my legs were killing me, and I thought I might collapse but I finished and it felt fantastic.

So with the difficulty and the pain, why in the world would a person run?
I'm not entirely sure yet, you should probably ask Devin, who ran 42 miles last week. But I can say that there is something appealing about a physical challenge. Something exciting about pushing yourself to do things that are currently beyond your capability. I think that's why I enjoy hiking so much. It's always a challenge, it is usually difficult in parts, but after you are done, you feel like a champion and have accomplished something.

It's a great feeling to accomplish something tangible but in reality, circumstances in life do not usually tee-up tangible goals for us, we've got to set goals for ourselves, define what victory looks like, and celebrate our wins. It's so easy to go through life never accomplishing anything, not because we haven't done anything, but because we have not defined what victory looks like and taken the time to celebrate after we accomplish a goal we have set for ourselves. As you can tell, this does not just apply to a physical challenge like running!

With all of this said, it would now be pretty embarrassing to lose this challenge. But honestly, I'm not all that concerned about losing!