Will To Run

My wife is a runner. She runs 4x per week, 6:30 in the morning in the sub-freezing weather. She's fit. She loves it.

She's run 5Ks, 10Ks, 1/2 Marathons, 200 mile relays. She has a collection of medals hanging in our bedroom.

She talks about the runner's highs and the runners trots. (I've learned there are things unspoken in the runner's world)

Year after year. I love her for it. I admire her every time she gets out of bed early to go running.

I've learned in life that you can be just about anything you want to be. It only takes the gumption to do it. Most people are content just to watch the world go by. I'm not one of those people. 

One year I stood in a crowd watching some hot air balloonists get their balloons ready for launch. It was a beautiful spectacle. There was quite a crowd watching the event. When the balloons lifted off, the onlookers stood watching. The balloons disappeared into the sky and the chase cars took off. Their adventure was just getting started. As an onlooker, my entertainment was over. I was left feeling empty and unsatisfied. I wanted to either be in the balloon or the chase car. I wanted to be part of the team, not the spectating crowd. I decided then that spectating was not for me. I want in on the action.

And I've remained true to that philosophy, mostly. I've gotten to do some amazing things. I believe if you want to say you are this or that, all you have to do is do it.

Most ambitions don't require a degree or a professional paycheck to prove it. You just have to do it. If you want to be a writer, write. If you want to be a photographer, take pictures. I have a good friend that I say is an economist. He denies it. He says he's an IT administrator. He has no formal training but has read more books and understands more about economics than most people I've met with a degree in economics. I say he an economist (and a darn good IT administrator!)

But...

I watch my wife run. Day after day. Season after season. Race after race. She runs.

I want to be a runner!

What do I need to do? Run.

I don't even care if I'm a good or bad runner. Or if I place in a race. I just want to know myself as a runner.

I've resolved to become a runner this year. 2018, 50 years old, runner.