How did you even get here?
Think back to earlier today. What did you do? You…
first decided where you were going to run.
A trail run, maybe? I went on a trail run once, here at the University of Idaho. I tripped on a tree root and fell on my knee. It got all bruised and swollen; it looked like someone had mixed grape and strawberry jellies and smeared them all over a bread roll. Going on one run and immediately falling? Just my luck. But enough about me.
After this, you…
decided when you were going to run.
Making this decision depended on a lot of things, such as your schedule, whether it was safe to run outside and your motivation level. Maybe you got up and immediately got it done. Maybe you waited for motivation to strike you like the viper strikes the heel of the gazelle. Maybe you waited for motivation to bump into you just enough that you felt something, like that small fender bender you got into last week in the Walmart parking lot.
Then, you…
decided what to eat.
You did eat today, right? Yes? Good. Because food is fuel!
Next, you…
decided how far you were going to run.
Quick two-miler, or a hundred-kilometer run? That would give you a lot of time to think! Maybe you can think about your old friends and wonder if you’re doing better than them, or if they’re doing better than you. You can wonder if you’re doing better without them. Or you can think about something more lighthearted, like that silly thing your pet does! Don’t think about how your legs feel like they’re being run through a meat grinder, though. That’ll just make the pain worse.
Oh, shoot.
That is a lot of decision making. Man, I hate decisions. I’m indecisive. Hopefully you’re not. You got to this point, though. While we’re waltzing around the marble halls of your memory, physically, you’re out on the trail. Getting to that point took a lot of decision making. That’s something to celebrate.
Alright, back to those memories. You…
got your running clothes on.
Sweatshirt and leggings, fresh out of the dryer, warm as a mother’s embrace, or shorts and a tank top, cooled from the crisp April breeze that danced through just a few minutes ago, right before the storm rolled in?
After this, you…
hydrated.
Tip: use a sports drink for extra electrolytes!
Following this, you…
put your shoes on.
Don’t forget to start shopping for new shoes after about 400 miles! But man, running shoes can be EXPENSIVE. Do I have the money for new shoes right now? I’m paying for college, and I only have one job. Can I find a second job? If I get a second job, will I have free time? First, I’ll lose my free time, then my time for homework, then I’ll fail college. The cost is just too high. I feel guilty even going to WinCo and buying myself hot chocolate mix for a few bucks. How am I going to justify buying a $100 pair of shoes? My heart is racing just thinking of how my life could fall apart!
Wait, no. Breathe. Focus. Back to the list. You…
shut the door.
The house door. *clunk* The door to your dorm or apartment. *thud* The car door. *clap* Wherever you are, whichever door you must close, close it. And don’t look back. Walk away from it.
After this, you…
found somewhere to warm up and stretch.
This is so important! Don’t forget to stretch!
Finally,
you step
onto the wet, black void of pavement. Petrichor hangs heavy and fresh in the air. You look at the long stretch of the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail ahead of you. You see the Panda Express and the Starbucks, the Target, the Walmart, the Appaloosa Museum and Heritage Center. You see the wide spread of the golden rolling hills, the sun slowly breaking through the clouds and dousing them in a pool of light resembling melted butter. You see the trees, growing with, growing for, the birds that call them home. Suddenly, you feel so, so small. “How did I even get here?” you wonder as you start your watch, set one foot in front of the other, and…
Run.