Performance and Transformation

            It get's really easy to forget why running is fun.  Perhaps you've never gotten to the place where it is fun, and I don't think that can happen on purpose. It just occurs, and just as slowly it occurs that running is no longer enjoyable and is just about goals.  Doing the run is no longer the goal, it is no longer an end in itself. When we first start, that's all it is, to be able to complete a 3 mile run is the accomplishment and that's when running is fun. Then after a while it becomes a means to a different end, and that is when the run is no longer fun.         That's how a lot of things are.  At first I read my Bible and that is the accomplishment, then after a while I do it because I need something from it - character change, comfort, solace.  Then when it doesn't happen, reading my Bible is no longer enjoyable, but I keep doing it because I know I need to. Or some of us just stop.   ...

Did you have a good run? I get that question a lot, whether it is after a race or just a Sunday morning longrun.  I can tell what my answer will be before the run is even over based on how I did at the 2/3 mark. It doesn't matter how long the run is - doing a 5K race, how was I doing at mile 2?  A marathon, how was I doing at miles 18-20?  Those are points in any run where I am far enough from the beginning that the euphoria of a beautiful day and a great run have worn off and I'm essentially tired. Then it is also far enough from the finish that it's easy to mentally wander, get overwhelmed with how far I have to go, and just slip into a gentle effort.  Mentally, it's the muddy middle. A great run isn't made at the beginning, though at the start I can certainly make mistakes that hinder a good run from happening. Nor is a great run made at the finish.  Who blows off 2.75 miles and sprints the last 200 yards and somehow feels like a champ? A grea...