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by Michael Selman It has been said that runners have their best thoughts of the day while out running. Runner and writer Michael Selman shares his "Thoughts on Running" with us here at ontherunevents.com.
There are many circumstances to which a quick retort may be “It’s a question of when, not if.” One such situation came about a few years ago when my parents chose their preference of where to retire. Throwing caution to the wind, they decided on settling in Wrightsville Beach, NC. They built a beautiful place, in a development appropriately named “Landfall.” Although we had no idea of the foreshadowing that the name foretold, I’ll have to admit that my first thought was that the Mid-Atlantic coast was a common locale for hurricanes to do some of their most telling damage. Although recent history had revealed that the immediate area had not felt the windy wrath of nature in a number of years, my first thought was “It’s a question of when, not if.” As a runner, I never have taken for granted that our sport often spawns the same thought. For years, on an almost daily basis, I counted my blessings. I have flat feet. That’s not good bio-mechanics for running. I had a muscle tear, sustained when I was still in grade school, that never healed right. I have a big knot above my right hamstring as a constant reminder of the scar tissue that developed as a result. As a kid I was a natural sprinter. My physical ability was not as a long distance runner. So when I started to run again in my mid 20’s, this time as a distance runner, it was hard, and not fun. I was rebuilding, training my body to do something new. Running distance was not the same thing as sprinting. It was a different sport. It required training. In time, I learned to enjoy distance running, become obsessed with distance running, and finally treasure distance running. But always, in the back of my mind, I knew that the risk of injury was lurking. “It’s a question of when, not if.” Two years ago, Wrightsville Beach had a couple of visitors. Their names were Bertha and then big sister Fran. The two violent storms dealt Coastal Carolina a wicked combination punch. The area was still recovering from Bertha when Fran came close behind and left the area reeling. The nations eyes were on the two eyes of the storms which had made landfall in the exact same place within a month of each other. The damage was done, and a lot of people in other parts of the country were left scratching their heads about what it is that drives some people to take risks like this. But we are runners, and we know the answer. Just as a hurricane can devastate an area which had been untouched for a half century, so can a runner fall prey to injury in the snap of an ankle. In the back of our minds, we know that it can happen just that quickly. We can run fine, and injury free for years, but then, either over a period of time, or in one misplaced step, we can be down and out, and off the roads for months, or years, or for a lifetime. Some of us have been there. Others have been there repeatedly. Yet others have been spared up to now, but by virtue of the fact that we run, we have built our homes on the beaches of the fertile warm Atlantic waters which defiantly dare the storm to come on shore and blow us down. Last Year, Wrightsville Beach was battered yet again, for the third time in three years, when Bonnie came to call. Some people of the area had rebuilt after the dual pops of Bertha and Fran, and were better prepared than before. This was as a result of lessons well learned. Nobody was so naive as to think that this could never happen again. Recent, as well as past history had revealed that it could and would be repeated. Now Danielle is on her way, and will, at the very least, provide a weary stare. Yesterday, while I was on my morning run, I felt a reverberating shock up the left side of my back. It was my sciatica, returning to a former state which I had hoped would not return, but which was more disappointing than surprising. Perhaps only a couple of days off will be required this time. Just like hurricanes have varying categorical ratings based on their strength, so do injuries have sliding scales of severity. This one, I am hopeful, will not be too bad. So why does someone build their home on the beach? Why does a runner continue to run? Why does it seem like anything that is most worth having comes with it’s own inherent risks? And most importantly, why do we evaluate those risks, and chose to accept them, even though we always know “It’s a question of when, not if?” My parents have a reason for living where they do. They love the beach. They love the weather, most of the time. They love living close to family. Living off of the first tee of an elegant, sprawling golf course, looking out their bay window at landscaped gardens and a swan filled lake was a nice option for them. They have opened their home with their friends, their children and their grandchildren. They have made there home a castle, and a warm one at that. And three times in the past three years, they have had to hold their breaths and hope their castle would still be standing when the rage cleared. So far, they have been lucky. The repairs have been minor, and they have stood their ground. After running virtually injury free for almost 15 years, within the last two, I have experienced ITB, shin splints, and sciatica, and was reminded again this week that nothing stays away forever. There are always constant warning signs to be seen almost every time you run. It could be as minor as a twitch in the back, or as glaring as headlights coming straight at you, but there is always a risk, and there are always reminders. So why do we do it? My answer is easy, and simple. My answer is this. It is because doing what brings you pleasure improves your quality of life, and living is what life is mostly about. If I run for 15 years, injury free, and then have to take a year off due to injury, than I can still look back at the last 16 years and know that they were overall better than they would have been without running. My parents will look back at the shingles they have replaced and know it was a small price to pay for the memories of a laughing grandchild feeding the ducks with some week old bread. We know it’s always “a question of when not if,” but we do it anyway, because really there is no risk. As a result of our choice to run, or to live on the beach, we will always enjoy an improved quality of life. It’s a question of when, not if. No ifs ands or buts.
Thanks Michael for sharing your "Thoughts on Running" with us here at
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