Sunday Long Run Thoughts
Running against the sunset is the greatest metaphor of life.
Deciding to lace your shoes up and go for a run on a daily basis is also enough to warrant this metaphor; you are attempting to beat the road with every successive step.
(From one runner to the other: the pavement always wins.)
Add in a clear-sky sunset run against the universe’s built in timer that hasn’t malfunctioned in 4.6 Billion years creates a two front battle you’re surely to lose.
Combat against the constantly clicking clock of time is not wise, but as humans we are hardwired to hold no punch when it comes to survival.
Choosing to run, on any recurring cadence, places you in a mindset and state of being that requires introspection. Showing up knowing the pavement is going to kick your ass, only to find yourself one hour older at the end of it is a level of spiritual understanding most will never get to. The wins in this inevitably losing fight have to be seen from a philosophical lens, most only see the physical.
Of course there are the cardiovascular benefits, but once you hit a certain level of understanding and your relationship with running grows from a workout to a fight, these primary benefits take a back seat.
At a certain point, the fight itself becomes your “why” when choosing to run. It’s rooted in part of the flow state, and can only occur with sufficient-enough endurance after years on the road or trail.
Having the ability to do something that is definitively hard (running for an hour at a fast pace) with subconscious ease, is the most pure form of flow.
One singular hour where pavement and time come together to fight you turns into an hour of meditation, time away from a screen, and place for deep thinking. It’s not for everyone, as the idea of being alone in your thoughts is scary for a large swath of the population (never mind the running portion).
There’s a reason why high IQ humans play golf. It’s quiet and hours in length. The complex choices you’re faced when making different shots are all calculated in your head in a split second when the ball leaves your clubface.
Running is the same, except the complex choices we ponder on are not related to the activity we are doing. Instead they are pertaining to our lives and the tough decisions we are facing currently. It gains you the skill to process a tough decision, find an answer, then catalog it in your brain for later use. All while running against the clock.
Simply put: The act of running is putting your body to work, fighting the forces of time, while allowing our minds to answer questions and make progress it could not have otherwise.
The true separation of mind and body.
The fight against life; the fight that is life.
-BTR