When you’re a runner you know it in your bones.
Despite the times of injury, cross-training purgatory, and miles withdrawals, you know in your heart you are a runner.
When the track workouts and intervals gnaw at your fortitude, your stomach and your lactic acid riddled muscles, you know you are a runner. You curse it a little in your mind, your sick attachment to this thing that tests you in such painful ways.
The moments when you wish your long runs lasted forever, the miles ticked off more by feel than numbers, when time hangs and dawdles outside of hours and minutes. You know in your soul you are a runner.
Your friends, faceless companions racing alongside you, strangers you pass running on the street; this community, these are your people, you know you are a runner.
The times when the alarm clock goes off and you dread the first step, yes you actually dread it even though you don’t want to admit it, it happens. You still force foot into shoe and get moving, you are a runner after all and you know it. You also know the crummy runs are worth it too.
Because the moments, the ones that you can only catch if you’re lucky and you can’t really ever perfectly plan them. The ones when you feel like you’re not really running, but are outside yourself watching this body complete this incredibly magical yet totally simplistic action. These runs you wish you could catch in a bottle like fireflies and watch them forever…these are the times when you’re not just a runner but the run is shining through your bones.
You know you’re a runner more-so of how you feel, it’s a sense, and you know it in your bones.
1) When you’re injured or unable to run for whatever reason, you still know you’re a runner on the inside. What’s an example of feeling like a runner through the times you can’t actually run?
2) Even when you dread the workout or run, how do you motivate yourself to get the first step in?
3) How was your last long run? Was it one where the miles seemed to fly by, or craaaaawl by?
4) Who raced this weekend…brag on your fine selves! 🙂
To me just seeing how far i’ve come as a runner is proof that i am one. My last long run was yesterday, a half marathon in 1:49:37 (1:49:44 clock time). That’s 19 minutes faster than the half I ran in January 2011! It really did fly by yesterday but a few of the miles were uphill and seemed really long, haha.
My friends and run group really motivate me with workouts… accountability is huge, I know they will miss me if I’m not there and I’ll miss them, so I try to make it 2-3 times a week!
PR’s are SOOO motivating…keep it up girl! 🙂
If anyone had runner bones, it’s you woman!
I feel like a runner when I’m water running in the local pool and researching tips on staying running fit when injured.
I motivate myself by reminding myself that I choose to run, and that I never, ever regret going for a run, but I will regret not going out.
Haha – last long run and race have to go together here – amazing, amazing, oh HELL why did I do this?
hahaha…’oh HELL why did I do this’ seems to cross all of our minds when the gruelfest really is underway. i’ve also thought, “hmmm, if i hucked myself over the side of this cliff i bet it would be less painful.” 😉
So beautifully written Miss Cait! I loved ‘You know in your soul you are a runner.’ Poetry.
Those long runs when I have nothing to look at but a blank wall and I am so happy to be floating in that space where nothing exists but my heartbeat and my legs. That’s when I know I am a runner. When I realise that I’ve done 8 miles and wish I had time to do 8 more. That’s when I know I am a runner.
Those times when I am walking like a duck the day after a hard Fartlek workout. That’s when I know I am a runner. When I use Fartlek in conversation just to embarrass my sister….that’s when I know I am a runner (and an annoying big sister…)
🙂 Wonderful post Cait.
awww, thanks! coming from u, of the forever eloquent prose i really take that as a compliment. 🙂
and i think i am going to have to start using the metaphor of a walking duck post fartlek much more often! 🙂
I didn’t race this weekend. I had two runs, one 5.5 miles, one 6.5 miles. It’s so funny because some days I just go and kill it and never want it to stop. This happened on Saturday’s 5.5 mile run. Sunday’s run, at the same pace of 8:05ish, and only 1 mile longer was torture. I just couldn’t get into it.
Let’s see how today goes. 3 easy miles and weights!
some runs are like that! u wonder, “okay, that mile just felt like 20!” hope u had a great 3 miler and weights! 🙂
YES! omgggg. you know how i feel about things just being more of a feeling than even a logical thing. its something you just know inside of you. see…i cant even put it into words to explain it right. i just get it!!!
bwahaha…i KNEW u’d totally understand. 🙂
My last long run was pretty dang awesome! I have been trying the 4:1 run/walk method and it totally works for me!
Running has definitely developed in my bones!
I love this! Running is in my bones.
I had a fabulous long run this weekend: 10 miles of awesome! Yay!
YAY for u is right! 🙂
You are such a good writer, I was hanging on every word. I can totally relate to the good runs, the bad runs, from dreading getting out of bed some mornings (like this morning!), to the elated runs that feel so magical.
I did my last long run of 20 miles this weekend, getting ready to run the NYC marathon in 3 weeks!
aww, thank u so very much! way to rock that last long run, now enter the excitement of approaching race day! 🙂
LOVE this post! When I got up this morning to do my three miles, I totally felt too tired to do it! But I am telling you, when I put my gear on and slid my feet into my awesome shoes (they have super powers) I got really excited about my run! 🙂
umm, YEA ur feet do have superpowers…pretty sure they are super speedy Miss Mile PR!! 🙂
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