APIW1000W

A picture is worth a thousand words. I come across all sorts of thought provoking, interesting, inspiring, funny and cool pictures. I am going to start posting them on a regular basis with the title APIW1000W. Partially to share them with you and partially so I can have an album of awesome pictures. I'm going to warn you. They will be extremely random. These one's happen to be pictures of nature.

Enjoy

Ok this one is not of nature, but I told you they are going to be random

Today's Motivation

The Magic of Running

Why do you run?

Because you're wondering if your grandchildren will too. Because its raining. Because you can, and others can't. Because its faster than walking. Because that shaky leg feeling is all about nervous energy. Because you can't fly. Because you can fly. Because your personal best is just that. Your's. Because the pain of a blister is nothing compared to the pain of stopping. Because you like the resistance the wind gives you. Because you like the resistance you give the wind. Just because.

Now most of you that know me, know that running is my "thing" but I'm not sure everyone knows exactly why. Anyone who runs competitively will agree that running just has something about it that is like nothing else. The above paragraph is the closest I can get to describing it. That something is what has kept me in the sport for the past 8 years and will continue to do so, but for me, and I'm assuming most runners, did not begin running for this reason. It seems that most of us just accidentally stumbled into it. Running isn't popular, plain and simple. Boys grow up idolizing Brett Favre and Michael Jordan. We play backyard football and basketball during recess hoping to, one day, be an all star like the guys on TV. No one grows up saying, "I want to be a long distance runner!" You don't get to "play" running like you do football and basketball. It's not something kids go outside and do when they want to have fun with their friends. Running is punishment when you fumble, drop a pass, or miss your free throws. Who in their right mind would want to run, let alone, enjoy it as a sport? Well to be honest, runners are weird. No, we aren't actually weird, we are just different than the majority, so if you want to call that weird, then I guess that's fair. But this is my story as to how and why I came to be a runner.

As a kid, I was never overly interested in traditional sports, which also meant that I wasn't very good at them either. Not that it was my parent's fault by any means. They put me in YMCA soccer and baseball, but I never took a strong interest in them. I would choose to play outfield in baseball so that I could sit and pick dandelions and catch bugs. Turns out I did end up having a "Top 10 Play" in my baseball career though. I was standing out in left field, doing my usual, picking the grass, but for some reason I had my glove turned up. Little did I know, a pop fly was headed right to me and everyone started screaming my name. Before I could look up, the ball landed straight into my mitt to get the last out of the inning and I was the hero. I can't say I did anything special in soccer though. My favorite part of soccer were halftime oranges and Kool Aid Bursts. (ok, honestly, this was everyone's favorite part) So you can see that I was never the popular, athletic kid in grade school, but that didn't bother me. . .until junior high.

As a 7th grader we were given the option to play 2 sports in the fall so that we could test out the waters of both football and cross country. Now I had never played contact football in my life up until this point, but I still wanted to try it, knowing my Dad was an avid football fan and I wanted to make him proud. As you may have guessed, not many people wanted to try cross country, but my sister, a junior at the time, was the number one runner for our high school cross country team and had been very successful, being a multiple time state qualifier. (She also went on to run for Wayne State College) So, I decided to give it a try, thinking maybe the family genes would be in my favor and I could be a half way decent runner. Surprisingly, football did not start out too well. I did not understand play calling, I had no hands, and I was a tiny little runt.

As you can see here.  At least Jordan's impressed!

I remember coming home from practice one day, it was a Wednesday. (Whenever you refer to back in the day it's always a Wednesday. Dane Cook joke.)  I was talking to my Mom about how I didn't know if I could do football anymore but I didn't want to disappoint my Dad and be a cross country runner. My Mom, being the amazing woman she is, told me that it did not matter what sport I played, my Dad would be proud of me whatever I did, as long as I gave it my best. That was all I needed to hear.

Once I shifted my focus to cross country, I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I definitely wasn't anything great my 7th grade year, but I made friends and had fun. . . What more can you ask for? My cross country coach told us from day one that running is not to be seen as punishment. It has been used this way in sports for years which has turned people away from running. He told us how humans are born to run. Did you know humans can outrun almost every animal on the planet? Before McDonald's, we got our food by running down animals for hours until they were so tired that they fell over from exhaustion.

Running is the purest sport in the world. It was the first sport ever invented. There's no fouls, timeouts, or bad calls. It's just you with your spikes tied tight, proudly wearing your team's name across your chest toeing the line with hundreds of other individuals who have also sacrificed the late nights out with friends, junk food, and everything else it takes to be a good distance runner. . just trying to cross that finish line before you. My first cross country race in junior high I got 11th, one place out of medaling. I wanted to get better. I wanted that medal. So I chased that first medal like it was the the Olympic gold, and once I got a taste of it, I was hooked.

I have always loved getting medals and new personal bests, but the absolute best part about running, for me, has been the awesome friends I've made. Going to practice each and every day, pounding out thousands of miles in the excruciating humid Nebraska heat, powering through that last mile repeat when my legs are ready to collapse, and taking 45 degree ice baths after practice, all right along side my teammates, has formed the strongest sense of camaraderie I have ever felt. After going through these things together, you are no longer just teammates or friends, you are brothers. When a team can reach this level of togetherness, they can achieve amazing things. My high school team ended up winning 4 straight state cross country championships throughout my high school career. We were good because we cared about each other. We poured our heart and soul into that team and that meant so much more than the trophies or medals we had won.

Now I love playing sports of all kinds: basketball, tennis, soccer, football, hockey.  In fact, I talk about football and basketball with my friends much more than I do about running. At cross country practice, me and my teammates will frequently talk about Husker football, (Which is of most importance here in Nebraska) NFL, NBA, NHL, and just about every sport out there. I got to thinking, "I wonder if the Husker football players are warming up for practice discussing last weekend's big cross country race?" Probably not. DEFINITELY not. The truth is, no one really cares about long distance running. . .Except us. It's not a glorified sport filled with media coverage and praise. . . and you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Competing in the sport purely for its own sake. . . not for the fans, or the fame, or the money. We get laughed at for wearing short shorts and being skinny. I'll admit it, I kind of throw like a girl, but dammit, I'll run with the best of them until my legs give out, and that is something I am extremely proud of. I cannot think of a single better way to show what a man is made of than running 10,000 meters as fast as you possibly can. I went from doubting my ability to finish a 400m race for track and field day in 5th grade to running 12-14 mile long runs every Saturday morning. I am on a nationally rated cross country and track team with hopes of eventually qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships. I'm proud of what me and my teammates do even if no one else understands it. What I'm trying to say is, find something you're passionate about and run with it. (Literally in my case) Don't mind what other people say or think about it because its yours. Whatever you do though, strive to be your absolute best, otherwise it is not worth doing.

Here is a quote and a video that further explain what running is to me and so many others.



"Running to him was real, the way he did it, the realist thing he knew. It was all joy and woe, hard as a diamond; it made him weary beyond comprehension. But it also made him free." 

from the book "Once A Runner"