The Stages of Running.

I love to run. Don't get me wrong here, the feeling is amazing.
Especially at the END. Maybe even, an hour after the END.
Running for me, however, involves stages:


1st Stage: Pump myself up before I leave the house.
             This may sound silly, but I have seriously woken up, got dressed for a run, tennis shoes on, ipod strapped to my arm, in the car...car started....and have talked myself out of going into town for a run. Car turns off. door opens. And I take that short walk of shame back into the house. Getting pumped up is a must.


2nd Stage: "Running sucks."
             I often say this over and over during the first five minutes of my run."This sucks." Why do I like this again?" "ugh, this is just miserable!" There is a slight moment of quitting that comes to mind, but then it gets chased away by another "running sucks comment."


3rd Stage: Acceptance.
            By this time, I've gotten over the miserable first ten minutes of running and have accepted that this is indeed what I'm doing for the next hour or so of my life. And I will like it, and my body will appreciate it later. I begin to realize I'm sweating, and this, I love. I LOVE TO SWEAT DURING A WORKOUT. (i know...gross. But so true, on so many weird and strange levels)


4th Stage: Friendly Competition.
            I love to compete. So, when I run, there's usually several periods of "how fast can I run?" " how much longer can I go?" " Sprint the Hills!" It's insane, I know, but this is the part I love about running. The speed. The endurance. The competition.


5th Stage: Cotton-Mouth, Dehydration, Hyperventilation, and Muscle Failure.
             This is when I stop running. It's when I know my body's reached it's limits, and I settle for a nice walk. By this time Louis Armstrong's "What a Wonderful World" is playing on my song list, and it's about the same time that I begin to realize....I...Love...Running.


And what a wonderful world it is.