The Church of the Long Run

Some Sundays, I need to go to the Church of the Long Run.  Today was one of those Sundays.

I begged out of church with Jude and the boys and ran 10 miles on the muddy trails at Shelby Bottoms.  It was a glorious day for a run, with a bright blue sky above and the temperature in the mid-50's.

It's been ages since I've run 10 miles.  It felt so good to be back on the trails at Shelby Bottoms - a place where I've logged so many miles over the past 15 years - running long again.  I parked at the entrance to Shelby Park, by the tennis courts, and started on the trail by the dog park.  As I ran some trails I hadn't run in a year or more, I felt a twinge of nostalgia for the days when I was on the trails, running long, every Saturday morning.

Kids, work, age, injuries and, perhaps, a lack of resolve have led me away from the long runs I used to get in so often, usually at Shelby Bottoms.  My weekly mileage has decreased as a result, and regular 20 + miles weeks have turned into 15 + miles weeks, if I'm lucky.

One of the ancillary benefits of deciding to run the Country Music Half-Marathon this April, after having taken a couple of years off, is its forced me to get back in the habit of running long again.  That's a good thing, for me, anyway.  I've realized, too, that it helps me tremendously to have a goal or an objective - like an upcoming race or a yearly mileage total to shoot for - as a means to motivate myself to run long.

Running long on a regular basis is an entirely different thing than running regularly.  Running long takes more of a commitment.  It's going to hurt, almost every time.  It's a mental and emotional test for me, too, every time, as my mind inevitably begins to tell me reasons why I should stop before I'm finished.  Somehow, my heart or my soul fights back, and encourages me to ignore that voice inside my head telling me to stop and walk.  When I win - when I finish a long run - it's such a feeling of satisfaction, more so than finishing a normal, shorter run during the week.  I've overcome adversity, again, and finished a long run.  It just feels good, and that feeling stays with me for the rest of the day.

It's a little bit selfish, I know, but  that's just part of the personality of serious runners.  It's a time commitment, one most runners are happy to make given the rewards.  I know it's a bit of an inconvenience for my family, though, as I'm usually skipping a family event - like church - or taking away from time I could be spending with them.  That being said, I'm a better version of "me" when I'm running regularly and running long.

I do my best thinking during long runs.  I clear my head during long runs.  I've said this before, I think, but I've composed entire eulogies and opening or closing arguments in my head, during long runs at Shelby Bottoms.  Seriously.  I think running long brings out the best of who I am and helps me figure out who I want to and need to be.  I feel closer to God when I run long, which means there really is something to this "Church of the Long Run" thing, for me, anyway.

So, I've finished my "Mood Elevator" and the boys and Jude will be waking from their Sunday afternoon naps any minute now.  Time to step off the front porch at Bongo Java on this beautiful "almost Spring" day and head home.