Thoughts from the Road

I should have known better.

Today was the first morning that I wasn't particularly anxious about my long run.  I was scheduled to run eight miles and thought, ain't nothin but a thang. 

Feeling self assured, I let myself sleep in and didn't head out until 8:00am, probably an hour and a half later than I should have.

Armed with a new playlist, my camelbak, some espresso energy GU, and a cocky attitude, I hit the road.

Three miles into the trek, I knew I was in for it.  I started getting really hot.  Sweat was pelting my eyes and my pace was rapidly slowing down.

Oh no.  This is not good.

At mile four, I took the gel and a huge drink of water and decided to surrender. 

The pain and the journey toward miles 5, 6, 7 and eventually 8 got me thinking...the moment that we begin to auto pilot anything in life and assume that we know more than it...is probably the point at which we are doomed. 

Because clearly we have lost respect for the task at hand.  We assume that we've mastered it and that we own it...when in life, nothing could be farther from the truth.  We are really never in control of our circumstances.  We assume a healthy surrendering and trust believing that goodness will outweigh evil and that fear and worry are simply barriers to the truth.

It's good to be a little anxious about the journey.  It certainly makes the fruits of our labor sweeter and more hard fought.  And in the end, we learn not to take them for granted and to recognize that accomplishing a goal like running 8 miles on a Saturday morning is a blessing.