Running is Brutal
Running is brutal. It pummels the body in slow, subtle ways that reveal themselves gradually, in flashes, at the dawn of one’s running career. But eventually, the discomfort transforms from the rueful, yet enjoyable aches that follow a hard run, to chronic, shooting pains that course through your body whether you’ve gone for a run or not.
I should confess here that I don’t stretch. As committed as I am to my running practice, I almost never schedule a time to run. I’ll vaguely plan to run either at lunch or before dinner, but invariably a window of time will open and a flash of inspiration will hit and in five minutes, I’m out the door. Stretching would only delay the payoff or worse, the window of inspiration might slam shut while I’m dipping towards the floor in an awkward hamstring stretch as my dogs look on quizzically, wondering if whatever I’m about to do will involve them.
So my back is completely jacked. Hot yoga has offered some limited solace but I haven’t done that with sufficient consistency because, well, it might get in the way of a run. And so I’m down to laying on my spike mat and once in awhile, rolling around on the floor in a halfhearted attempt to unwind decades of lower back abuse (shout out to years of rugby and hockey as well).
My doctor has scheduled me for an x-ray, which I have yet to fulfill. As they say, they pain just hasn’t gotten bad enough yet. But I’ll go in soon. He’s also got me scheduled to go for PT but again, the whole stretching thing has me leery. I’ll get after that soon as well.
The problem is that I have found nothing that surpasses running as such a complete, energizing experience. It burns shitloads of calories, allowing a cad like me to continue — for the time being, anyway — to enjoy the diet of an 8 year old. But it’s the bracing, mind-clearing potency of running that offers the greatest payoff. For an hour or two, it’s just me exploring the earth, my Airpods pumping great tunes into my head, the sun showering me in vitamin D and the shifting panorama of the sights and sounds of the world around me. I have never finished a run in a worse mood than when I started.
I missed signing up for an early yoga class today, so I’m planning on hitting one at some point later. Unless I go for a run instead.