Simple Satisfaction

Ready, Set, Greenlight!

Alright, alright. Ready, Set, GO!

It's how we used to trick our opponents into a false start. As they jerk forward on the wrong word, they have to turn back to the starting line. Their conscience won't let them win with a jump start. It wouldn't be fair. As they struggle how to make up their extra steps, you then spit out the word go along with that extra advantage: two steps.

My dad used to have this trick to prevent these cheating moment. To always make the race fair, we would grasp our hands and lean in opposite directions. We were not allowed to begin the race until our hands had been "cut" with a karate chop hand motion. Then we were off. Never turning back.

As we made our way in opposite directions, we sprinted around the perimeter of the large house and back to the exact place we had started. Whoever crossed that line first, won. They had the ultimate bragging rights. They were on top. They were the one to beat.

Running was simple then. It was full of grass stains, dirty feet, the hydration center was the backyard hose and the only head lamp I had were the lightning bugs dancing in the dark.

I ran barefoot through the long grass. Grass stains and dirty feet were forgotten until the end of the night. I ran across the spurt of hot asphalt, the jagged rocks from our landscaping and then down the small downhill for the advantage. The elements did not matter. There wasn't time to think about pain. It was the wind in my hair and the hot sun in my face that made it worth it. Oh, and of course the look on my brother's red face as he turned the last corner to see me standing at the finish line. Waiting.

The neighborhood kids soon caught on to what my family was doing. The stepped away from their video games and air-conditioned homes to see what all the commotion was about. They were curious about the children that bolted from the back of their house, only to return around the opposite corner. Were they being chased? Who was cheering? We became an attraction. We had the ultimate competition. Who could beat who? Reputations were made, egos were broken.

It is hard to go back to the simplicity of running. Take your shoes to that old dirt trail, to your childhood memories, to the place where there was no need for headphones. Run through those puddles, soak your socks, and don't complain. There is no pain here.

Ready, set....GREENLIGHT!

Gotcha.

Less pain, more gain. Please.

My crafts are still being crafted and my life goes on. But with a new job, the crafts are constantly put on the back burner. Paper burns pretty fast. My new routine called "life" is that of sleeping, running, constantly eating food, working and sleeping again. I think I have managed to get it down.

As I train for my first half marathon, I have realized a few things about myself: I can't handle pain as well as I thought, I underestimated how fast I can really run for long periods of time, it's all about mind games, I like to run with other people.

Some of these realizations may be very simple. For me, it's about figuring out what I like and what my potential is. I don't think I should ever run with a watch because I am too occupied with those stupid numbers scrolling by. It is like one of those sand timers. You feel like you only have so much time before you better reach the other end or you are going to feel empty and lose the game that you playing with your mind. It is a mind game. One that you have to keep playing over and over with yourself. There is no passing "GO" to win $200 to boost your spirits. Instead, you keep going to "JAIL" because your injuries are preventing you from going the distance you need.

Running and thinking do not go together. If there was a large switch I could pull and just allow my legs to run, I would pull it. Is there such a thing as sympathy pains for runners? Every time I fit someone up for new shoes, they complain about an injury that they have, that I can't fix or figure out what is causing it. The very next day, (I am not making this up) I get that exact pain. Right now, my ankle feels like there is a firework going off inside of it. Thank you customer #213. You are making my runs impossible to complete. I guess I just should deal with this until I get the next customer with a mystery pain. Brace yourself, Rachel, this could be a doozie.

Until the next run. Whenever that may occur.