I have completed 10 half marathons and 1 full marathon. My distance running journey started with a marathon at the age of 29 (quite a few years ago). Because I have been running (very slowly, to be sure) half marathons for many years, I have started to notice a few things. There are a few constants. The constants are what keep me putting my shoes back on. (My constants are not presented in a specific order.)

Constant Number #1  

I connect with nature. Wherever I have run, breathing in my surroundings has made all the difference. The Ohio River. Rock Creek Park. Brickell Key. A farm road in Jeffersonville, Indiana. Each place has a unique feel and nostalgia. Each place marks a time in my life. Each place tells a story. Each place asks a few essential questions. What is home? Who am I? Where have I been? Where am I headed? That is why I cannot stand to run on treadmills. Treadmills ask no questions. Treadmills provide no inspiration. They are simply a functional means to an end. I run outdoors. (I am lucky that I now live in a place where running outdoors does not involve gearing up and preparing for absolute cold.) I enjoy the smells and the colors. I enjoy the surprises of weather and seasons. I enjoy the insight the comes when a deer quietly walks up or a stingray elegantly jumps. I enjoy the occasional rainbow and rain shower. I enjoy the sun. I enjoy the pace as I watch waves, or barges, or logs floating downstream.

Constant Number #2

People are in need throughout our world. The presence of need has been a constant wherever I have run. It breaks my heart to say that I run past need. Running side-by-side need makes need impossible to ignore. I am literally the person on the street. Park benches by a Major League Baseball ballpark. Under a bridge leading to a beautiful Florida Key. Outside a drugstore on a major Washington DC street. Need presents itself where we are willing to look. Running past need has lead me to run races for philanthropic causes. Running past need has made me participate in the Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Running past need leads me to support non-profit organizations.

Constant Number #3

My body is changing. Constantly. I don’t build up stamina as quickly. I don’t lose weight as easily. My pace is not as fast as it once was. I have to give myself a longer pep talk before putting on my shoes and heading out the door. I can’t beat my body up, like I once did, and expect it to show up. Moderate abuse (like drinking to excess, or carrying a few extra pounds, or not getting enough sleep) used to have no effect. Now it definitely does. I am no longer as nimble and agile and flexible as I once was. I hear stories of people in the best shape of their lives in their forties and want that to be me.

Closing in on our next half marathon, I celebrate the constants. I visualize the start: full of breath and energy and excitement. I visualize the finish: full of gratitude and sweet exhaustion and pride.