I so relate to the loneliness point. This sensation feels hard to explain at times, especially to people I'm close with, but there's few greater feelings in my mind than just floating, existing, being in a specific moment with nature, music (perhaps), and your own thoughts. I've thought about this over the last two years, since I've really gotten into running...that there's few things I can think of that are as simultaneously freeing and grueling. Telling other people about long runs I went on often elicits a "how the hell did you do that?" question, both in terms of physicality and detachment. The truth is that (and I've told others hoping to jump in feet-first this as well) training the mind is so, so, so much harder than teaching the body to make it a certain distance. It's this heightened state of mental clarity and relative thoughtlessness that makes running something I feel I can't live without.
May 18, 2022·edited May 18, 2022Liked by Paul Flannery
I run for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, but two in particular resonate: humility and ego.
1. Humility: I ran a 10-mile race and blew through my goal. A couple weeks later I was getting gassed on the last few miles of a 10-mile run. There's no reason to think I'll ever be able to run a strong workout every single time, and I like that since it keeps me always pushing to improve.
2. Ego: I don't mind getting compliments around a long workout or a fast race time. Those never get old and while I can survive without it, I'd be lying if I said someone telling me how fast I am doesn't feel good.
But beyond that, the ability to just get away from things for a run is probably my favorite. As you're aware, I have a job that keeps me in front of my computer or on my phone for long periods. I started running without my phone early in the pandemic and it feels so freeing. It forces me to get away from things.
Thank you for sharing so much of you with us, Paul.
I run for nearly all of the same reasons. I think the one that keeps me coming back the most is that it settles my restless brain. Even if I have a not-so-great run, I was able to focus on something outside of my head, if that even makes sense. It can be a freeing flight, where I'm not conscious of what I'm doing: it can be a tough, sweaty, grind where all I'm thinking is "this should be easier but I'll get there"; it can be a regular daily run where I'm stepping away from my work to move my body, or any other of the million scenarios. But at the end of it all, its escaping and calming and making me either feel better or feel damn good...for all of the reasons you listed.
man you were pitching a perfect game until that last one where you run because it's fun. I've had runs that *were* fun, but I don't think about running as particularly fun in and of itself. Mostly I run to stay in shape and prove to myself that I still can. I still track time and distance and splits and all that, but only two things really matter to me: Starting and finishing. Now that I think about it, finishing *is* fun
I so relate to the loneliness point. This sensation feels hard to explain at times, especially to people I'm close with, but there's few greater feelings in my mind than just floating, existing, being in a specific moment with nature, music (perhaps), and your own thoughts. I've thought about this over the last two years, since I've really gotten into running...that there's few things I can think of that are as simultaneously freeing and grueling. Telling other people about long runs I went on often elicits a "how the hell did you do that?" question, both in terms of physicality and detachment. The truth is that (and I've told others hoping to jump in feet-first this as well) training the mind is so, so, so much harder than teaching the body to make it a certain distance. It's this heightened state of mental clarity and relative thoughtlessness that makes running something I feel I can't live without.
beautiful.
I run for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, but two in particular resonate: humility and ego.
1. Humility: I ran a 10-mile race and blew through my goal. A couple weeks later I was getting gassed on the last few miles of a 10-mile run. There's no reason to think I'll ever be able to run a strong workout every single time, and I like that since it keeps me always pushing to improve.
2. Ego: I don't mind getting compliments around a long workout or a fast race time. Those never get old and while I can survive without it, I'd be lying if I said someone telling me how fast I am doesn't feel good.
But beyond that, the ability to just get away from things for a run is probably my favorite. As you're aware, I have a job that keeps me in front of my computer or on my phone for long periods. I started running without my phone early in the pandemic and it feels so freeing. It forces me to get away from things.
Thank you for sharing so much of you with us, Paul.
I run for nearly all of the same reasons. I think the one that keeps me coming back the most is that it settles my restless brain. Even if I have a not-so-great run, I was able to focus on something outside of my head, if that even makes sense. It can be a freeing flight, where I'm not conscious of what I'm doing: it can be a tough, sweaty, grind where all I'm thinking is "this should be easier but I'll get there"; it can be a regular daily run where I'm stepping away from my work to move my body, or any other of the million scenarios. But at the end of it all, its escaping and calming and making me either feel better or feel damn good...for all of the reasons you listed.
man you were pitching a perfect game until that last one where you run because it's fun. I've had runs that *were* fun, but I don't think about running as particularly fun in and of itself. Mostly I run to stay in shape and prove to myself that I still can. I still track time and distance and splits and all that, but only two things really matter to me: Starting and finishing. Now that I think about it, finishing *is* fun