Running is a lot like cottage cheese for me.
I used to hate cottage cheese, so much that I had a gag reflex with it. Then, slowly, I developed an acquired taste for it. By squeezing in some honey and adding in some blueberries, I began to enjoy the taste of the chunky and sour cheese curd.
If I were to place running in a personal hobbies list prior to this year, it would have been after baton twirling, which, in case you couldn’t guess, is at the very bottom of the list of my interests. I just knew I was not naturally gifted at running, and that preconceived thought in itself was enough for me not to try running any more than I was forced to.
But, my mindset changed altogether when I came to college and I wasn’t able to join the swim team as a walk on. All the hours that I had spent in the pool and swimming countless laps went down the drain (no pun intended). From that point, I had two choices: to give up on sports altogether, or to take on the challenge of finding a new activity. Thankfully, I chose the latter.
Like I said, running was never something I looked forward to doing, and it definitely wasn’t the first activity that I considered. In staying somewhat in my comfort zone with water sports, I joined the water polo club. The sport was fun yet far harder than I imagined transitioning from swimming horizontally to egg beating vertically with the fear of being drowned constantly by the opposing team. However, I knew that I was lacking something more; I wasn’t really challenging myself to the fullest in staying in the water.
Thus, I set out to go on runs. At first, just like with cottage cheese, I nibbled on one little edge of the trail, just one mile at a time. It was brutal. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, let alone enjoy nature. But, slowly I began to learn, and then to experience, and then to appreciate: running.
Things that I learned through Running
1. Self discipline
Running, more so than other activity, requires a lot of self discipline and self motivation. You have to want to go out and run. It’s sometimes difficult to roll out of bed to go to class, but it’s considerably more difficult to set that alarm for 2 hours before class to go on a run. But, in the end, those 2 fewer hours of sleeping really pay off, as you realize how much you can accomplish in the earliest parts of the day and to start your day off with a clear mindset rather than a groggy and muddy mind.
Wordsworth, an English Romantic poet said: To begin, begin.
So often, I find myself making the excuses: But, it’s too cold to go run; it’s freaking raining; I have so much work to do.
To begin, begin. The simplest yet most difficult part is making the decision yourself to go out on that run.
2. The Happy Runs that make the other not-so-great runs worth it
It’s those runs that I finish knowing that I challenged myself and yet still had a fun time that make the failed runs worth it. Consistency is something that everyone wants, throughout all part of life, but the highs and lows can also be learning points that lead us to overall improvement and satisfaction.
3. Running together
Running can be an individual activity, and for some, they enjoy it as a solitary and relaxing activity to free themselves from the world around them. But as for me, an individual who never really viewed running as “relaxing”, I have found that struggling with others actually makes it way more manageable. Not only that, but running with others allows us to hold one another accountable and to achieve the goals that we have made for ourselves.
Note:
Read what I wrote in the numbered list after exchanging the word “running” with the word “living.” It should still makes sense… WHOAH.
That’s because, running is just like living. It’s difficult, yes, but it’s worth it. Yep. I think that everyone should challenge themselves and go out for a run at some point in their lives; To begin, begin.
