Why Run
Many people will truly never understand the depth of the following paragraphs, as these same people have never brought themselves unto the point of physical or mental failure. Myself Included. I can only highlight glimpses of how close I have personally gotten.
This goes for any sort of physical activity, but I find it most prevalent when I run. There is something to be said for giving something your all. As the saying goes, give it 110%.
With this being said, I pose a question: Have you in any endeavour in your personal life, ever given anything 110%?
Many people might say yes.
The honest ones: no.
In anything, to give 110% you must commit your mind, body, soul, and all of your existence into one certain thing. And even in the case of a spouse or someone who you’ve committed your life to, it is impossible to do so.
The truly beautiful thing about running though, is how substantially close you will come to this phenomena.
Running has no cost, no limit nor rules. It is the art of one person simultaneously committing their mind to moving forward. The only exception, you must always keep on moving forward. Just as in life, you take things one step, or leap at a time.
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Now, each time I go for a jog I will get tired. In fact, running can sometimes be brutal. Although, if each time I run I push a little harder, the inverse affect will occur. The next time I slip on my shoes, it will get a little easier.
Now hold on to your ball cap with this one, but there’s a pattern amongst one of God’s greatest gifts:
If every time I run, I push a little harder, things will get easier. And if I once again raise the bar the next time I run, it will once again get easier. But the thing is, it’s not that things are getting easier when you run, our bodies become complacent with the little improvement we make, and we begin to measure ourselves compared to how we used to be. Although, the underlying factor in all of this is that no matter how fast or strong we think we are becoming, the bar can always be raised. We can never truly become our full potential. We can never truly give 110%.
With this knowledge at my fingertips, I have begun approaching life’s inadequacies with this same mindset. Give each day as much as I can to make tomorrow’s task a little easier. I know in my heart that I will never be a complete master of anything. So I can only do as well as I can now, in order to keep raising the bar. I’m getting as close as I can to that 110%.
Now, if I were to watch an Ethiopian marathoner, their gait is phenomenal. They are truly wonders of the world. But even in their case, they know deep down that they could always be a little faster, or a little leaner. There is always something to improve upon.
I believe in this modern world, that running has become a task that many people don’t want to do. Actually, I don’t believe this. I know that people don’t like to run. Although, even so, the most inept people can run, or walk. And when they do, they hopefully enjoy it. Because it is a tool that I have found of the utmost importance in terms of becoming in touch with where I am, and where I want to be in my life.
It has given me a shoot for the stars, land on the moon, mentality. As you never know how truly good you can get in any respect. You can always be better.
That is Why I run!
All the best,
Ruben
