In 2020 my friend invited me to train for a marathon. Against better judgment, I accepted. I started training in Jan of 2021, prepping for a June marathon.
I said yes because I needed an excuse to work out and I like listening to audio content. Also, I began running a lot in college, which was good times. The best part is getting to the top of a mountain, running a mountain trail, or discovering a new route. It all seems so natural and human. Just you and the land.
There’s something enlivening about a long run. There’s an endorphin kick that boosts your mental state. Then while running, you keep finding ways to make the same route a little bit longer. Or make it exactly 5 miles.
I often would push my kids in the stroller. I’m not sure how they survived, but they did. There was a great long lath that was a perfect 5 mile there and back, with hardly any interruption.
I’m not sure why this memory came back to me, because I’m pretty sure I never want to train for a marathon again. It’s horrible. It takes so much time. And then I got injured so I couldn’t even compete. But deep down there’s still a longing for a long run.
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Bryan lives somewhere at the intersection of faith, fatherhood, and futurism and writes about tech, books, Christianity, gratitude, and whatever’s on his mind. If you liked reading, perhaps you’ll also like subscribing: