Someone asked me a few days ago what would happen to me if I did not run. Obviously, this was asked by a non-runner. So my answer was quick and sarcastic. I said, “You would not want to be around me. I would be cranky.” So I got a sarcastic response which was “When are you not cranky?” I continued to explain that running helps me relieve stress and find my equilibrium, etc., etc., and then summarized by saying if I couldn’t run I would bike. Which really isn’t true, because if I couldn’t run I would probably still run anyway although it may very well resemble a walk.
To be honest, if I didn’t run, let’s say I just gave it up or decided life was too busy to run, I think I would feel some emptiness inside. I would feel like I lost something. It is not like I would combust or something but I think my mind and body would feel a bit off. I would also have too much free time on my hands. I would need to find a hobby or something. A lot of my social activities center around running so I would need to find new friends too. That would be a lot of work so running is just easier.
In all seriousness, running is a part of me. It doesn’t define me but it is part of what makes me who I am. I am a runner. I love the way it makes me feel, the way it allows me to constantly challenge myself, and the way it helps me lead a healthy lifestyle. I have taken time off from running, especially post marathon. But like clock work, after seven to 10 days of leading a non-running lifestyle I am itching to get back into it.
What would happen if you did not run was a really hard question for me to answer and even after thinking about it, I still find it hard to answer. I guess I really don’t see myself not running.
Thanks for following…Dawn
Week seven of London Marathon training is complete!!!
Early in the Sherlock Holmes short stories, Watson tries to understand how Holmes does what he does. Eventually, Holmes asks Watson, “You have come up the stairs to this flat hunderds of times, Watson. But can you tell me how many stairs there are?” Watson says “No.” And Holmes replies, “You see, but you do not observe. There are 21 steps.”
The beauty of running to me is that you have a chance to not only see, but to really feel and observe the places through which you run. You get the smells, and the noise, and the hurly-burly, and the people – you see everything. It is not like being in a car, or (heaven forbid) a plane. These just get you from here to there in air conditioned silence. Running allows you the great pleasure of experiencing the places along the way. That is why I have always run different races in different places.
It seems to me that if you did not run, you would miss everything.
And that is why I am so envious of your running London.