Weekly Challenge - Run for Emotion

Anybody that ever knew me growing up will tell you that one of my least favorite activities in the world was ‘running.’  So It’s not a surprise to me that people are shocked to hear I’ve participated in five marathons and five half-marathons, not too mention the hours on end of training.  “How did you get into running?” usually follows their shock.  From there I talk about watching my first marathon and reading the book, “UltraMarathon Man,” by Dean Karnazes.  However the simple explanation is ‘emotion.’  

There is no better way to start a day than with a long run.  There is no better feeling throughout the day than knowing you’ve already challenged yourself.  And when you understand the emotion that is involved with others pushing themselves to limits that are at the extreme, you will also understand this weeks challenge: Attend a local marathon or half-marathon and cheer like hell for the runners.  

Please don’t take this as a cry to make everyone run a marathon.  That is the farthest thing from what I hope to accomplish here.  Marathons are brutal.  Period.  You either want to try them or you don’t.  However, what I want you to gain from attending one is the ‘emotion’ involved with running.  Be it 2 miles or 20 miles, there is an extreme level of emotion involved and it is an emotion that will alter your day.  By watching and cheering on a race you too can experience the emotion gained from the race itself.  

Too often we forget what’s most important in our life, emotion, and anything you can do to find that is a worth while activity.  It’s like Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, “What matters is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."  He’s referring to emotion.  Have a great week!