The Unknown Distance

Today in the Treasure Valley it is 62º F. After several weeks of very little running, I could bear the tension no longer. I ripped my pants off and threw on the short shorts. After a very productive band rehearsal, I grabbed my water bottle and flew out of the building. The landscape flowed seamlessly by. I ran by the track to see Joe Lovell with a trash bag in hand, and smiled to think that for once I was getting my run in when he wasn’t ( I give a lot of credit to the kid, he’s much faster than I). I flew down Lake Lowell Ave, and hooked up with the Nampa Greenbelt. It was almost like being in paradise. The ducks were all, err, in a good mood, we should say. That put me in an even better mood. I pushed the pace even harder. My lungs begged for mercy, and I said “NO WAY! I OWN YOU!” They continued to complain for the rest of the journey. I felt like a rockstar out on the street, everybody staring and smiling, reflecting my countenance. As I re entered the campus grounds, a feeling of accomplishment and delight overswept me. I have no idea how far I ran, or how long I was gone. All that matters is the experience you get when it happens. It’s an act of joy for me to glide across the country, seeing all the great sights I enjoy so much. It is this joy that allows me to enjoy the act of ultra running when some people would rather sit on a couch at home and watch their favorite sitcom. What have you done today to liberate yourself from the dreariness and monotony that is comfort?