The End is Always Worth It

I'm currently re-reading "Born to Run" and took the time to jot down my favorite quotes from the book instead of just dog-earing the pages (believe me, there are a lot of folded corners...). As a medical student and all around type A personality, one quote really spoke to me, and it wasn't from the author himself but an awesome free-spirited female runner.

“When I'm out on a long run, the only thing in life that matters is finishing the run. For once, my brain isn't going blehblehbleh all the time. Everything quiets down, and the only thing going on is pure flow. It's just time and the movement and the motion.That's what love--just being a barbarian, running through the woods.” -Jenn Shelton

What is amazing about running is that it attracts all types, from doctors to jocks to African children in the bush. And it means different things to so many different people but there is a common theme that allows people to connect. And I thought about this quote during my less than successful run today when my legs were screaming and I was trying to hold down breakfast. What was supposed to be an easy 4 miles on trails along the ocean (possibly the most beautiful run in the world but I'm a Mainer and I love the ocean so I may be biased) turned into one of the worst runs of my life. I woke up and had my usual coffee with soy milk and toast with sunflower seed butter. I felt slightly off, maybe nauseous or just tired I couldn't really tell. But at 2 miles BAM I started gagging and had to walk. WALK. I hate walking, I 99.9% of the time can run through pain and just focus on the finish but the nausea was just too much. This has never happened to me before. And this is coming from someone who used to eat 2 hot dogs (pre-vegetarian days) before play off soccer games and run for 90 minutes straight at center mid. I never stop mid-run.  So I walked. Then I jogged. Then I started running again, nausea free, and realized that's what I love about running. It's just movement and motion and no matter the path, the goal is always the same. 

Did I mention I live on an island sometimes?

Oh and Oiselle released some cold-weather layers today. Consider this girl pumped for the fall, half marathons, hot cocoa, and perfect running weather.