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Dave Griffin On Running
The Carroll County Times – Sunday, February 21, 2010
It had been the topic of conversation all week - there was a storm coming for the weekend. Knowing I’d never get my long run in once the storm kicked in, I decided to get it done on Friday within hours of when the snow was supposed to start.
I picked a quiet route where I knew there wouldn’t be much traffic and started out slowly. Now that I’m older, it takes a mile or so for my body to remember I’m a runner. I used to fight that, didn’t think a serious runner should plod along, but now I find it easier to treat my body like a partner rather than a subordinate. Before long, I was moving along in the normal rhythm.
The scene around me was nothing like you would have found in the grocery store that day. The world seemed at peace with whatever was coming. There were no leaves on the trees to hide the snow that lingered from the last storm, and I could see the full beauty of the landscape around me. I’m thankful I’ve never retreated to a treadmill when winter comes. Solitude is better when experienced in the midst of something bigger than yourself.
I pressed a little harder in the second half, remembering the benefit I was hoping to get from the run, but still feeling comfortable in the effort. As I moved along a winding dirt road, the first flakes began to fall, and I knew I was one of the first to see the start of it. Within a few moments, the snow became steady, and I ran the last couple of miles in winter wonder.
When I got back home, I carried the peace with me. I don’t know exactly how to describe it, I was simply ready let myself get snowed in.
Waking up the next day, the news stations spoke of the epic storm. The snow was already piled up outside, still falling fast and blowing. Everyone else, like me, could do nothing but watch.
Usually, what’s happening around us is beyond our control. Why then, do we overreact, acting like we couldn’t survive a day without milk and forgetting that melted snow makes water?
The truth is the only real control we have is self control. By believing in our own resilience and resourcefulness, the storms around us become less important.
The next great snowstorm came just days after the first one. It was an unprecedented event, and I couldn’t resist the urge to run in it. I found a plowed path to follow and suddenly turned my focus away from what was raging around me and toward my ability to get through it.
There will always be storms. Challenges are abundant. Life is better when we accept that, stop wishing them away and start believing in ourselves. After all, something on the horizon is coming either way.
Dave Griffin
Dave Griffin is the Times’ running writer. His column appears every other Sunday. Reach him at dpgflyingfeet@aol.com or join the Facebook group, Flying Feet Running Programs.