I am a Runner

As I was completing my second run on Thursday of this week and trying to figure out what I wanted to write about here, I started to wonder how many miles I had run since starting this blog exactly 5 years ago.  When I went back and looked at my training log I was a bit shocked at how many miles I had logged since turning 47.  As of today, I have run 9,197.3 miles or an average of 35 miles per week.  To put it in perspective, the circumference of the Earth is 24,901 miles.  So I have run over 1/3 of the circumference of the Earth.  Now that is mind boggling.

With all of this running, some of my non-running friends and colleagues question my sanity.  I mean how many people commit to running 6 days per week and actually look forward to it.  Most non-runners cannot understand why I subject myself to what they imagine as a grueling slog down the road on a daily basis.  Unfortunately there is no way I can explain what running does for me or why I need to run regularly.  Sure I can tell them that it helps me keep my weight down and that it is an easy and cheap form of exercise.  But there is no way to explain how it improves my psyche and my soul.  Yes…running improves my soul.

 I believe that when I run I am able to reduce the stress I feel when I am getting overwhelmed by work and wondering how I am ever going to be able to meet the goals and objective before me.  It has definitely helped me process grief and sadness after losing a friend or loved one to cancer.   Just getting out on the road for a few short miles helps me clear my head and think back on all of the happy memories of that person.  Running also allows me to set truly attainable goals that I can achieve.  Then when I am faced with a seemingly insurmountable problem I can remind myself of those achievements and know that if I work hard at it I can solve any problem.   Finally it is the knowledge that I always feel better and have a clear head after a run that gets me out of bed and onto the road every day.

While all of the above is true, what really helps improve my soul is that I can run to help others.  In 2009 and 2012 I ran as part of the Dana Farber Marathon Challenge team.  It was my first time as a charity runner.  I was worried whether or not I would be able to meet the fundraising goal when I started.  IN the end after a lot of hard work, I was able to raise over $32,000 to help scientists find a cure for all types of cancer.  It allowed me to actually perform a true mitzvah and finally do something to help ultimately achieve the Jewish principal of tikkun olam.  Charity running is the epitome of actively doing something to help repair the world.  Here is an excellent explanation of why I believe my running can and should be for a higher purpose.

Tikkun olam encompasses both the outer and the inner, both service to society by helping those in need and service to the Divine by liberating the spark within. As we are, the Divine spark lies hidden beneath our layers of egoistic self-centeredness. That spark is our conscience, through which the promptings of the Divine Will flow toward us. By pursuing spiritual inner work to strengthen our soul and purify our heart, we grow more able to bear that spark without shattering, more willing to act on what we know to be right, less willing to act in harmful or grasping ways, and more able to notice the quiet presence of conscience beneath the din of our chattering minds and reactive emotions. The work of transformation, of building a soul creates a proper vessel for the Divine spark, for our unique share of the Divine Will, returning that spark to the service of the One Who made it. By working to perfect ourselves, perfect our soul, and serve society, we each contribute in our own unique way to the perfecting of the world. This is our duty and our calling as human beings.  (From The Inner Frontier website)

Finally I know that running has introduced me to people who I now count among my closest friends.  I have found that when I am running with friends, I have my own personal cheering squad.  My friends and I are there to root each other on during races and support each other through long runs.  With Facebook, we can send encouragement over the internet and give our fellow runners that boost they may need during their training.  I also tend to run with people who are younger than me.  When I am running with them they are typically encouraging you to run faster and harder making it easier to take my running to the next level.  It also allows me to get to know people on a much deeper level in a casual environment.

As you can see there are reasons to run other than for better health.  But they are somewhat inexplicable to others because they are so personal in nature.  I know that I will keep running until the day that I shuffle off this mortal coil because it is a major part of who I am and it helps me learn to be a better me.  Who knows on day I may even be able to say that I have run enough miles to have circumnavigated the Earth.  Wouldn’t that be something?

Kindness in words creates confidence.

Kindness in thinking creates profoundness.
Kindness in giving creates love.
- Lao-Tzu

Sept. 16 – 6.10 miles (59:14, 9:41 pace)

Sept. 17 – 4.00 miles (31:54, 7:59 pace) – Speed Work
Sept. 19 – 6.10 miles (59:39, 9:50 pace)
Sept. 21 – 7.10 miles (1:06:54, 9:23 pace)
Sept. 22 – 7.10 miles (1:04:55, 9:05 pace)
Sept. 23 – 6.10 miles (57:28, 9:23 pace)
Sept. 24 – 4.00 miles (31:40, 7:55 pace) – Speed Work
Sept. 26 – 5.00 miles (41:14, 8:15 pace) – Tempo Run
Sept. 27 – 6.20 miles (57:07, 9:14 pace)
Sept. 28 – 7.10 miles (1:05:04, 9:14 pace)
Sept. 29 – 7.50 miles (1:08:11, 9:05 pace)
Sept. 30 – 6.10 miles (56:47, 9:23 pace)
Oct. 1 – 4.00 miles (31:45, 7:56 pace) – Speed Work
Oct. 1 – 2.90 miles (31:29, 10:52 pace)
Oct. 3 – 5.00 miles (41:01, 8:12 pace) – Tempo Run
Oct. 3 – 3.00 miles (34:52, 11:32 pace)
Oct. 4 – 6.20 miles (58:07, 9:23 pace)
Oct. 5 – 10.10 miles (1:34:03, 9:23 pace)
Oct. 6 – 7.10 miles (1:06:03, 9:23 pace)

Total Miles:  110.7 miles

2013 Total Miles:  1,323.7 miles