For Love of the Run

Today I had one of the best runs I have had in the last three weeks. It was not very fast. I did not run a new route or run in a new location. The weather was not great, it was cold, windy and wet. Nothing spectacular happened. It was a plain old ordinary one hour run. Plain and simple. However, it was me, a great training partner and a whole hour of bliss. No worries. No stress. No coaching issues to deal with. No pressure to perform at work. Just simply putting one foot in front of the other, simply for the love of the run.

I'm not a huge Kevin Costner fan, but you have to admit, the dude makes decent baseball movies; Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, and For Love of the Game. In all three movies, the main characters burned with a passion for the game of baseball. I was in a For Love of the Game mood today as I was out wistfully scampering along the canals of my hometown reminiscing of how far I have come over the past thirty years in this wonderful sport. Even though my best times are two decades in my trail of dust, I believe the best is still yet to come. After all these years, just like Costner's character Billy Chapel flashes through his career in his final big league game, I too watched my time as an athlete play out before me. The big headed red afro wearing fifteen year old winning his first mile race as a freshman to a senior in college closing out a roller coaster collegiate career with an All American certificate to pursuing fast times and bigger dreams that came crashing down around me. But, all in all, I have to say, I have been blessed and I am proud to call myself a runner.

Its a simple sport. Maybe that is what makes it such an incredible experience to be a runner. It doesn't require any real special skill, just a love to be out in the morning or evening breeze, to laugh with friends, to share a cold dark beer or hot steamy cup of java, to push others to new heights in performance, and to feel the great satisfaction of knowing you gave 110%, yet wondering, could I have given it just a little bit more? Mainly, it is about the love of the run.

Stay healthy, keep running, and keep your love of the run strong.