Feel The Burn

George Sheehan once said, ~There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.~ Without a doubt, there is a general consensus among certain people that running is considered not only one of the many ways to be physically fit, but it is also said to be an absolute adrenaline rush. Whether or not you simply do it for fun or just do it for your own health and well being or both it keeps your blood pumping. Let me ask you this question, as a kid were you the type of person who just enjoyed running and do you still run even to this day?

If you think about it, as little kids we run a lot not for the reasons of physical fitness, but because we had so much sugar running through our system that we had to burn off the energetic high from eating candy such as pixie stix back in the day. For it wasn't just the candy that did it, it was also the cereal as well that made running outside the best alternative than running inside for the expressed purpose of not getting anything valuable broken, which was a decision made by one's own parents. It's truly amazing how many of us weren't seriously injured as we ran ourselves silly to the point of being nearly knocked out by running into certain household furniture and yet, we were able to be unphased, which proves my theory that kids are invincible when hopped up on endless amounts of sugar.

It would be safe to say that as little kids we challenged or should I say dared other kids to race to see who was the fastest either on the school playgrounds or in our own neighborhood. When in doubt, the words that would inevitably spark an impromptu race are I'm faster than you and then what follows is a lot of trash talking, which mainly consisted of insults that hardly made any sense at all. Depending on how cocky you were and your win/loss it most definitely would psyche out other kids. For it was the thrill of competition in the game that pitted friend vs. friend and if I could borrow a line from former WWE wrestler Brett "The Hitman" Hart, you totally wanted to be the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.

Essentially, there comes a point, where one's zeal for running as a kid is gradually lost because of Father Time catching up to you. The reality of it is the human body won't work like it used and no matter how much we want to relive our misspent youth, life will remind you that its just not going to happen. Working in the asylum, you realize you can longer keep up with the younger kids when you play a game of basketball as you run down the court like you used to because after several minutes you feel as if you are going to suffer a heart attack and die. I'm not saying that I'm out of shape, but what I'm saying is that I have to accept the fact I'm no longer that young 19 year old kid who had an endless amount of energy to chase and guard whoever had the basketball in their hands.

Jimmy Carter said, ~Everyone who run knows that its most important value is in removing tension and allowing a release from whatever other cares the day may bring.~ In retrospect, running gives you a chance to relieve the stress of anger, frustration, sadness, etc. you may be encountering during the day or week. Oftentimes you can become so focused in running you put yourself into that proverbial zone to where you unknowingly push yourself to the limit or beyond what you're capable of doing in order to achieve something that you've deemed it a personal best. In the end, I tip my hat to those of you that consistently go out, run and feel the burn every day, which truly inspires me to be right there alongside with you...I'll be driving in a golf cart of course...but I'll be there with you nonetheless.