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.
Ah, Monday morning. While most of the world has strong desires of
pulling the bedcovers back over its collective head until the day goes
away, I eagerly pop out of bed and embrace the day. Monday, you see, is my
favorite day of the week to run. All the hard efforts of the weekend are
behind me, and Monday is the day I bask in the weekend's accomplishments,
and reward myself with a run just for me. I leave my watch at home, and
with it, the concerns of anything but the pure joy of running. Monday is
the day to smell the roses, count the stars, hear the birds, and run
simply because I can.
But then, there's Tuesday. And Tuesday is possibly my favorite day of
the week to run. My legs are fresh from the easy run the day before, and I
look forward to running a little bit faster, and capturing each split on
my watch. It's too dark to see my times as I pass each landmark, but I try
to gauge my pace by how I feel, and play a little game to see how close I
can actually come to the actual time once I'm back inside. Some days, I
know myself really well, and other days, I'm way off the mark. Tuesday is
a day to see how well I know myself, and to learn how well I am doing at
that task.
Then, there is Wednesday. This is undoubtedly my favorite day of the
week to run. For starters, I sleep about an hour and a half later, because
Wednesday is my track workout, and it's the one day a week I run after
work. The warm fuzzies of the day actually start the night before, when I
adjust my alarm accordingly. The whole day has a different feel to it.
It's the only day that the run is ahead of me rather than behind me as I
go through my work day, and the anticipation of the run somewhat distracts
me.
On Wednesday, I pack a bag so I can change right after work, and bring
an insulated jug that I fill with ice and water just before heading to the
track. Wednesday, I have a very specific task to do, right down to the
second, and the meter. I am acutely aware of my progress every minute of
the workout, and adjust accordingly if a little tweaking is needed.
Wednesday is a day to be an athlete, and to hopefully see gradual
improvement from one week to the next.
But Thursday is, in a funny kind of way, possibly my favorite day of
the week for running. The irony is that on Thursdays, I don't run at all.
That's the day I give myself the gift of recovery and the hope of
longevity. It's a second consecutive day that I sleep later, knowing that
I am rewarding my body for pulling me through the accomplishments of the
past three days, and giving it a break in preparation for the next three
days. It's not that the temptation isn't there to run. It is, but common
sense says to rest. Thursday is a day to be smart and logical. Even a
runner can do that once a week.
On Friday, I wake up early, and hungry for running again. After
starving myself the day before, I am ready to feast. I think that this may
very well make Friday my favorite day of the week for running. But Friday
is a day of control, and I have to temper the hunger. I know that I have a
tough weekend ahead of me, and I need to be sure I go into it well rested
and well prepared. Friday is much like Monday in the nature of the run,
but very different in its purpose. Thursday runs, in similar fashion to
Monday runs, are mindful, watchless runs, but my mind wanders in a
different kind of way. It looks to the immediate future, rather than the
past. Friday runs wonder what the next Monday retrospections are going to
look like. Friday is a day of hope and dreams of future accomplishments.
Saturdays don't require an alarm to get me moving. I am so eager for
Saturday to come that I sometimes hardly sleep the night before. Saturday
must be my favorite day of the week for running. As George Sheehan
expressed it best, Saturday is the lovemaking of running itself. Saturday,
I race, and thus give a deeper purpose for all the other days of the
running week. Saturday is, at the same time, the most serious work, and
the most lighthearted play of the week. Saturday is competition and
communion; a day of trying to distance myself from my best friends, in the
most literal of ways, hoping to leave them behind me only until the
handshake once the race is over. Saturday is a day of challenge and
camaraderie. It is a day for being the fastest I can be, and being the
best I can be.
Sundays incorporate a change of venue, a change of scenery, and a
change of purpose. I love the modifications. They make Sunday my favorite
day of the week for running. I usually drive down to the dirt path by the
river. Sometimes, my wife comes with me and we run together. Other times,
I meet friends there. On Sundays, I almost never run alone. Sunday is not
just about running, but it's about visiting in a way that can only be done
on a longer slower run. Eight, or ten, or 12 miles go by in a flash, and
when it's over, whomever I'm running with always shares my amazement about
what we've just accomplished and how easily done it was. That goes for the
conversation as well as the run.
So there you have it. The cycle is completed, and then starts anew.
Monday rolls around again, and I'm ready for another loop of the course.
Just like most every run I do, each week brings me back to where I
started, only a bit better off for having done it. And it brings me to a
better understanding of the fact that, in actuality, I don't have a
favorite day for running. That's because they all are.
The Roads Scholar, Michael Selman runs and writes in Atlanta GA. He
would love to hear from you. Please e-mail him at TheRoadsScholar@aol.com
with any questions or comments.
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