Dusting off....

It's been quiet here! But I'm back.

I can't explain why it took so long to start (or, re-start) blogging again, especially when there have been more than a few occasions when I thought to myself, I should blog about this! I can't seem to hold on to those thoughts, as much as they were inspirational, epiphanic or stirring at the time. Of course there have been the smaller, lighter observations which were blog-worthy too. All gone, crowded out by busyness and forgetfulness.

I've just finished reading Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall (thanks, Opus!). It's a fascinating book with amazing, almost unbelievable characters. I was compelled to google some names mentioned to see what some of these people looked like, to check out if they were even real. What intrigued me was, the idea that humans were designed physically to be running machines. How can this be? I find running a chore, even after all these years of trying to like it. What am I doing wrong? A related thought was, wouldn't it be interesting to be trained by the likes of professionals, e.g. Eric Orton?

The other thing that struck me was how there seemed to be a correlation between great running and pure hearts. Examples are littered throughout the book with ironmen with hearts of gold. Has running made me a better person? Or more likely, is it the case that I'm a bad runner because I don't quite like people?

One other thing in the book also impressed me. That these ultrarunners experienced great joy while running. And we're talking about running impossibly long distances, through rugged terrain and extreme weather conditions. Insane!

I mostly feel a quiet peace to be alone during my runs, listening to the water, resenting the heat and thirst I feel, estimating the distance left, thinking about the day ahead, organising errands mentally and sometimes, consciously correcting my footfall and trying out different rhythms of breathing. Not a very others-centric activity at all, even during times when I am burdened about someone and silently talk it through with God during the run. And my default expression is definitely not a pretty one, nothing close to a smile.