500 Days

   Today is a pretty cool day, 500 days of running. I look at that number and to be honest, it's a little scary. The miles have gone by so fast. It seems like just yesterday that it was New Year’s Eve and I started my 366 Project.

   Truth is, I never meant for it to go on this long. I remember thinking that 366 days was more than enough of a worthy challenge. During that first year suffering through peroneal tendonitis and hamstring strains I swore that on day 367 that this obsession would most definitely end. Why continue on?

   But, as dawn broke on January 1, 2014 I found myself not the same runner that I was before. Not the same person. Through that 366 day journey I overcame those nagging injuries, resurrected what was left of my training year and went on to destroy my previous marathon PR by more than five minutes giving me my second 26.2 mile race finished in less than four hours. I accomplished something that didn’t make sense. Something that I thought I could never do; I became someone who wants to run everyday.

   Some experts say that running every day is bad for you, will wind up giving you nothing but injuries and make you hate the sport. Being the obsessive bunch that we runner types are, I could certainly see the truth in those statements. Sometimes too much of a good thing can be bad for you. I know that those fears were in the back of my mind when I started this journey.

   But, as I look back on the past miles I smile to myself. I did have my fair share of injuries that first year and continue to fight others even now. But, I continue to overcome them. There were days when the thought of running just a single mile was the last thing that I wanted to do. But, just like now, at the end of those runs I don’t have a regret in the world.

   While talking to a good friend the other day he told me that training every day wasn’t what normal people do. I asked him if that meant that I wasn’t normal? Running for 500 days isn’t something that normal people do. So, yes I fit the bill.

   While on my 500th run tonight I marveled at the strength that I felt surging through my legs, the ease at which I climbed the hills that tortured me last year and the serenity that surrounded me. Running everyday has awakened something inside me that I've been desperately searching for my whole life, peace. By doing it everyday I've found my own way to center myself, put aside the negativity of the day and prepare myself for the challenges that lay ahead.   

   I realize that running may not be for everybody. It won't save even the most dedicated of us from all of our problems. All I'm offering up here is some friendly advice that took 500 days of running to realize. Life is too short to worry about how you may fail at your pursuits. You are stronger than you think. You can overcome more than you think that you can bear. If you want to do something, then go out and do it. You may fall, you may get be horrible at it at first, you may even get hurt. But, if you get up off the ground, dust yourself off and try again you will find that eventually persistence will lead to success.

   I used to think that I had my life figured out. But, much to my chagrin I was wrong. Life is something nebulous. It's constantly changing. If you aren't able to adjust you'll be left behind as a relic. I'm learning to let go of my rigid thinking and be more flexible. Running everyday is a lot like a test. Everyday I try to gauge how fast, how far, how hard I can push my limits, how flexible I can be. I'm even planning on running my furthest distance this Fall, 50K. I don't know where this journey will lead me. I don't know when it will end. All I know is that I'm looking forward to the next 500 amazing days.

   Ride that lightning my friends...