Running...please enjoy it!

As a runner by night (or the wee hours of the morning) and a statistician by day it’s fair to label me “analytical”.  I love numbers!!!  I love what you can do with them, the information that you can pull from a string of data…plots, charts, graphs, and tables.  Oh my!  It is all very exciting to me.  Running is one of the most quantitative sports.  The data that a GPS watch can track from just one workout can be overwhelming.  Months (or years) of training logs fuel a type-A analysts analytical tendencies.  I review splits, paces, HRs, distances, and total run times with the enthusiasm most people save for watching YouTube at work (or whatever else not-nerdy people get excited about).   But not me…in my spare time I track training trends.  Are my splits improving?  Is a banana or oatmeal for breakfast best?  How much sleep do I require to perform?  How’s my weekly mileage looking?  Etc, etc, etc….

I crave the statistics that my little Garmin can provide.  It feeds the data-hungry beast that lies deep within.  If I happen to lose my GPS signal or have my battery die while out on a run I feel my heart skip a beat, my HR may even increase but I couldn’t ever tell…you know because my watch wouldn’t be working to track it at that moment. How will I ever know how good (or poorly) todays run went?  This loss of quality data provides a crushing mental blow.  By putting all this out there it’s fair to say that I’m addicted to the technology.  Aren’t we all?  We live in a society that is plugged-in 100% of the time…we can track almost anything using the various technologies available today and we may feel lost if we aren’t pulling in as much information as we think we can sort through and make sense of.   The ‘experts’, whoever they are, say to unplug for an hour a day.  Spend your time living in the present.  Enjoy the moment…temporarily release yourself from this fear of missing out.  The same goes for running.  Sometimes it’s okay to run for the pleasure of running.  Enjoy being outdoors, smell the fresh air, feel the ground beneath the soles of your feet.  Don’t be afraid that disregarding paces and splits for one hour will somehow cause you to miss out on your future goals.  I would argue that letting yourself just go [running] once in a while would remind yourself how great it is to run…and therefore increase your potential for meeting your goals.

Running, in its simplest form, is one of the easiest pleasures to lose sight of in today’s hyper-sensitive world.  Put your phone away, turn off the music…take a camera and capture this journey to share with others.  Put please DO NOT post them to Facebook until after you get home!  Slow down (or stop) and enjoy just being away from it all.  For me, being able to harness this “slow down” attitude id harder than it sounds but once I do, it serves as a reminder of why I love to run. 

This weekend I was given the opportunity to shut everything off (and out); to slow down the pace and enjoy the beauty that running delivers.  My husband and I spent this past weekend escaping to a small mountain town which sits at over 7000’ and is nestled deep in the belly of mountain ranges.

After consulting with my coach about Sundays run she advised me to turn the pace off on my watch and not concern myself with my total time or my pace.  Hills and altitude were sure to get the best of me. 

Yes....hills and elevation!!!!!  AUGH!

 It was best I enjoyed my upcoming hilly 10-miler as opposed to enduring it.  And thankfully, I was able to heed her advice and do just that.  I allowed myself to meander through the towns surrounding landscape.  I stopped several times to watch deer make their way effortlessly up the hillsides.  I sat on a rock at the top of the peak for a moment (or 2 or 5) and let the view (and not my effort) take my breath away.  I experienced what few people in our go-go-go society get to experience…complete silence.   In those moments of silence I realized how thankful I am for this beautiful earth we get to live on.  How grateful I am for the ability to get out of the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  I allowed myself to appreciate the mountain air and scenery rather than speed past it, as is all too common in everyday life.

What goes up most go down! Also...check out the fantastic views in the back. 

The ability to escape is one of the greatest gifts that running has given me.  On a regular basis running gives me a quick reprieve from the day-to-day drudgery that is adulthood…but I’m normally forced to be in a big hurry to return.  But every once in a while when I’m out traveling I am given the opportunity to be at one with nature, to escape for a prolonged period of time with no responsibilities awaiting my return.  I can let my thoughts wander every which way without consequence; I can let my pace drop as my mind takes the time to let the splendor around me settle in.  While vacationing is itself a get-away; a 2 hour run can remove you from the tourists’ world and let you explore the secret corners of your destination.  After all, the treasures of the earth (or cities) rarely lie out for all eyes to see.

But first, before I can drink in these rich experiences I have to be okay with setting aside the constant flow of data (and how analysis of such data reflects on me has a runner).  I have to be okay with slowing down.  If I can’t get to that point then I’ll speed past the trees, the animals, the horizons, the views, the small details that when witnessed give meaning to life.  I have to allow myself to be okay with sitting down on a run.  I have to allow myself to enjoy just being out for a run.  I have to settle into just being.

The beautiful wildlife!  Not sure if I've ever seen so many deer all together. 

As a runner I endure tough training sessions.  I enjoy having completed them.  Hopefully more often than not I find some enjoyment while I endure them.  I definitely enjoy the growth I gain as a runner out of working hard.  But running for pure enjoyment is a critical piece of being a successful runner; I think that goes for any aspect of life).  If I can’t find that moment of enjoyment that I am guaranteed to burn out and leave this little slice of personal heaven behind.  Modifying a quote from Gordon B. Hinckley (whoever thought I’d quote him…thanks Pinterest): let’s remember not to just endure our lives but make sure we enjoy our lives.  As a final reminder to myself and others: don’t shy away from stopping every once in a while and taking a moment to smell the flowers (or whatever else brings you pleasure).