Fun, Dogma, and Presence

Today I had a thoughtful run (the best kind). I didn't think about anything earth-shattering. I did not solve the following problems: war, hunger, hatred. But, I did think a bit about fun, presence, and dogma, and how they play into both life and running. The run itself wasn't bad, hot but partly shaded on familiar roads and paths.


Fun: As I try to make and meet goals in running and fitness, there are some things that are fun to do, and some things that are fun to be able to do. For example, it is fun to go out for a run in the cool weather. It is fun to be able to go running no matter how hot (or cold) it might get, but not necessarily fun to do it. As any faithful reader of this blog might recall, I spent a good part of the winter complaining about sub-freezing runs in Vermont, and a good part of the summer complaining about 90+ degree runs here in Florida. Those same faithful readers might ask why I am in Vermont in the winter and Florida in the summer, and not the other way around. Alas, I have no good answer. It is fun to be able to do a certain number of pull-ups, fun to be able to run 26 or 50 miles, fun to be able to ride 100 miles, etc., but invariably for me the training involves some fun but a lot of not-so-fun grinding out of miles, reps, etc. As I ran today to the park (fun) where I did some pull-ups (not as fun) I thought about how to balance the fun and non-fun to keep pushing and meeting goals, but not burning out. This though process was a prelude to wondering if I am done with long-distance running for the foreseeable future. The training has gotten less fun as it eats into other time demands, and as I feel the ever-so-slow creep of age. My last marathon was decidedly not fun. But, I've had a a lot of fun with long runs in the past - maybe I can recapture that, or maybe it really is time to move on. I'm not giving up on distance yet, though, as one of my longtime goals has been to run a 100-mile race.

Dogma: One thing that I've been able to do over the past few years is abandon many artificial "rules" about training and running that I had set for myself. I used to run, bike, and swim exclusively. I used to consider a bike ride not worth it if less than 20 miles, and a run not worth it if less than 4-5 miles. I used to not "waste my time" with yoga or resistance training as they detracted from my running, cycling, and swimming. I've shed many of these restrictions, and incorporated some new and different (perhaps even more fun) activities into training now -- I ran 3 miles today with some calisthenics thrown in; I like to take shorter bike rides and mix short indoor bike rides with other training elements; I enjoy yoga and consider it as good a workout as a run. So the question is, how does training parallel life? How can I find and shed dogma and self-created rule that are holding back fulfillment, doing good for others, and my own enjoyment of life? This bears much more thought over many more runs.

Presence: I've never been as good at "living in the moment," as I wish I were. It's not often enough that I am able to enjoy where I am and what I am doing for what it is. Today I thought about this in a geographic sense, triggered as I ran by a shaded and clear-flowing creek that reminds me of searching for sharks' teeth as a child. Now that we're back in the town where I grew up, I wonder what it will take to feel at home in a place--to be here without picturing life in other places, and whether I'll be able to impart that sense of homeness to the kids (if, indeed, my childrens' experience has much at all to do with mine). In part this is a function of having moved five times in the last 11 years, and in part of the displacement that comes from being back where I grew up but having been away (intermittently) for a good long while. Perhaps it's just the heat as I think about summer in Vermont and Maine. Don't get me wrong: I do sometimes live in the moment, often at surprising and unexpected times. What I'd like, though, is to be able to choose to do it, and choose it as an approach to life.

Workouts:
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: run 4 miles (early morning full moon)
Friday: yoga 1.5 hours (p90x yoga DVD)
Saturday: run 5.5 miles
Sunday (today) run 3 miles, 30 pull-ups (20 standard grip, 10 chin-ups), 50 pushups (all standard)