Running

So running has been pretty difficult for me since I got to England. It’s just been a constant mind-game that I have invariably lost. I was starting to hate running… especially outside. I could barely make it across the bridge that is just down the street from Rob and Amy’s house. Rob enquired about my running and I told him that I just started this summer, so I am complete crap at it. He said that when you first run, don’t concentrate on how fast you are going, just concentrate on time and distance. He said I had the physical ability to run three miles … I just needed to take it slow. I got ready and went running right after that. I ran the slowest I have ever run, the most consistently I have ever run, the farthest I have ever run, the longest I have ever run, and was the least tired I have ever been on a run. I probably could have gone three miles at that rate. I ran for 20 minutes straight outside. I’ve never done that before! It was incredible! There were no mind blocks. I was just running and enjoying it. Who cares if I could walk faster than I was running, I consider it the best run I have ever been on. I felt so good afterward. Rob really gave me a huge key to running well. The ironic thing is it was a key I had already learned at the beginning of the summer when I first started running, but I had forgotten it and pushed myself too hard. Often in life, answers to our questions (even if they are not asked out loud) come from those we love. People around us can always teach us … if we are willing to learn. Experiences (good or bad) that come from interacting with people, especially those who are closest to us, can teach us so many incredible lessons. You see who and who you do not want to be. You learn lessons you’ve sought after for years. You especially learn to love more honestly. You think you learn a lot in school, but most some of the most essential lessons can come from the every day experiences and interactions we have the privilege of having.