Many men - get up each morning - and some don't. I count myself lucky to have arisen from my bed and to stride forth upon the earth. It has been some time since I put fingers to keys to empty my brain of the thoughts I have had. And there are many.
- I am still alive
- Running is good for me - and I find more of it.
- I can do whatever I want. I get to choose.
When I think about running I find so many parallels to life and to trials and tribulation.
- Running is not for everyone.
- However far I go out - I have to come back.
- Pain is temporary in a run.
- Pride has no place in a run.
- How you look does not matter while you run.
- The distance can be whatever your mind chooses it to be. You want to go 10 you go 10. If you want to go 26.2 you get to go all the way.
- No matter how far you go - you are all by yourself. There is nobody else out there but you and your Creator.
- When you realize #7 you can have a greater understanding of how you connect with everything around you.
- The farther you go - the harder you go - the closer you will know your limits. If you don't go as far as you can - then you will never know to what limits you can go.
- Running in the heat is brutal - running in the cold is a different type of brutality.
- 96 degrees is hot. Five miles in hot is something of an issue.
- If you are going on a long run - 16+ miles - make sure that the time of year is conducive to the latrines being open to the public. If not you crap in the woods, by a picnic table, and luckily it is dark outside and you are in the tree line.
- Toenails grow back. Or they fall off in the pool. Or they turn black. Or you don't really need them anyway.
- I, so far, don't know how far I can go - I need to find that limit.
- Food is just fuel. So don't waste time on food that does nothing for our fuel.
- Carrying twins across the finish line of a marathon can be taxing - but survivable.
- Early morning runs are odd - nobody is awake yet - and when you are running in the winter it is awfully fun to come out of a cloud of snow and scare the bejeezus out of someone who is scraping their window on their car.
- Runners acknowledge other runners - or cyclists - or four wheelers - or birds - or dogs.
- People will question your sanity. They will question your motives. They will question your choice in shoes. They will question your treatment of others while you are running. They will question why you are running at all. They will question your ability to reason after a run. They will demean you as someone who has lost contact with the real world. Your family will wonder why you are not at home but on a run. You will in polite conversation tell people that you have run "Fill-in-the-blank" miles that month or year - they will question your use of drugs.
Don't ever give up on what you will want to do and how you will want to do it. Never give up on your dreams or your opportunity to fulfill your dreams. You can conquer your fears and you can make yourself what you want to be. Open your mind up to the grind Open your mind up and pour in the grit and the determination to do what you want to do and how you want to do it. Don't let anyone tell you what you can and cannot do. Don't give an inch to someone who wants an emotional beach head into your soul. Kick the ass of anyone that deserves it. Be prepared in every instance of your life to conquer and burn the village down to prove a point. I have the same metal in me that you have in you. I want to find the limits of what I have been given. I want to push as long and as hard as I can and I want to achieve great things and do great things. The only way to do those things and make the impact I want - is to sacrifice everything I have on the altar of success and suck it up and go. Are you willing to go along with me? Your journey is your journey and mine is mine - let us make the best of ours.
Dave
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