I struggled with the running concept again this morning. I was awake from 4am thinking that I might just go out any minute and take in my required 10 mile pootle but I was still flouncing around at 11am throwing anti-running strops on the living room floor.
The new non-runner in my life has taken to questioning my strange obsession with this odd masochistic feature of my life and as a result I’ve found myself slightly bemused by the whole thing as well. I really and truly did not want to run today but at the same time I knew I had to, ought to and should go running!
What’s that about, when did I develop this addiction and do I need to go into rehab?
Sometimes I really want to run just out of the sheer pleasure of bounding around but I think I mostly run to escape myself. It’s much worse at the moment because I’m in the middle of exam stress and so am supposed to sit around on my arse all day studying. It doesn’t take much of that to make me want to run from my own company. I used to be able to sit around just fine without driving myself nuts but this exercise malarky seems to have given me boundless energy and without an outlet it turns me into a serious irritant!
I left the house knowing that a 10 miler was on my schedule but under the circumstances (I’ve no idea what they were) I’d settle for 8. In fact it was actually quite clear that I was open to negotiation and my baseline requirement was that I at least started running and I needed to get as far as Marks and Spencers for biscuits. Not a good start to a long run – I anticipated my inner whiner would kick in at the 1 mile turn off for M&S.
As it happens I seemed to be enjoying myself. I positively bounced past the first turn off point and then it started to pour down again. Rain is such a joy on a run, I love it. It makes me feel cool, committed and vaguely but satisfyingly ridiculous. I got to run past miserable walkers, huddled under the cover of trees, splashing through the puddles and calling out “light weights!”
Why is it that only runners smile in the rain?
I started to remember how great I feel when I run – you can continue forever and ever, meditating on the joys of your life and composing literary masterpieces (or even mediocre blog posts). When you finish you feel so goddamn smug that you can relax on the after affects for at least 3 days. I’m going to have such a productive revision day tomorrow!
The sun decided to put in an appearance over Twickenham Bridge and removed my perverse enjoyment so I turned round and headed back. I did nip into M&S but with my new found runners self-righteousness, I settled for grapes instead of ginger nuts.
8.5 miles – 1hr 46 mins.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
“It makes me feel cool, committed and vaguely but satisfyingly ridiculous.”
“When you finish you feel so goddamn smug that you can relax on the after affects for at least 3 days.”
Non-runners are great for the following reasons:
1. They smell better than runners.
2. They are better than checking your gear at some rent-a-truck.
3. They do not run faster than you and make you feel bad about yourself.
4. They are likely to tell everyone they know how “hard core” you are, and what an “amazing” athlete you are. Then those people think you’re cool without you having to earn it.
Non-runners are great to have around, EXCEPT in the hour before a long run that you really, really don’t want to go on. Especially when beds or beers (or both) are involved. May I suggest you tattoo your own words of wisdom (above) on all semi-permanent non-runners’ foreheads so that while their heads are yapping about how crazy you are, you can just listen politely and then scream, “LIGHTWEIGHT!” and splash a puddle in their face as you prance off to earn another 3 days of smugness.
The getting out is always the hard bit, after the first mile it is fun! I like rain to especially when people who don’t run/bike look at you asif you are mad!
Well done for getting out.
I love this post. There is no such thing as running in the rain.
You described the feeling – I think all runners share – very well:
“It makes me feel cool, committed and vaguely but satisfyingly ridiculous.”
Well done, that sounded like quite some challenge. You said it yourself, you are in the middle of exam stress, so don’t be too hard on yourself.
I hate running in the rain!
Hi there,
Fair play to you running in this rain. We did the Birmingham Half Marathon (our first ever long distance race) a few weeks back and since then the weather has turned proper bad and we haven’t plucked up the courage to go running again. But (you’ll have to excuse the blatant plug for my own blog here) a mate of my ran the arctic circle marathon a few weeks ago and since I’ve seen his pix, running in the cold and wet doesn’t seem so bad. Check out my blog (sorry) for some of his pix. All the best with your training. I’ll be dipping in again soon for some inspiration I hope!
Running in the rain can be refreshing but if the rain gets too heavy then I’m not to sure.
One thing I know thatis definitely wrong is to wake up at 4am and think you ought to go for your run.
But bouncing is good
Getting back into jogging since having my 2nd son, just in the past 6 months . . . I had forgotten the running in the rain bit. Which is all you do in Oregon this time of year, if you venture outdoors. I find I go much farther when its raining . . . odd.
Love the happy words regarding running!!
Blessings!