Just Do It

Just Do It. With all credit going to the fine people at Nike for making this little saying known worldwide, I start my "it's so obvious" essay for "Take It and Run Thursday" at the Runner's Lounge.

About 8 years ago I graduated from college and started to be an adult. Job, car payment, no afternoon naps, etc. Note that I started 8 years ago and still not sure if I've accomplished that goal yet;) I found myself without sports that i had played and trained for throughout high school and college. I didn't have an outlet for stress. I didn't have an outlet for the many calories that I love to consume throughout the day. I remember sitting on my couch one saturday morning in May and watching the Indy Mini Marathon on a local channel. I couldn't believe that 40,000 people got up on Saturday morning to run?! Run 13.1 miles! As I continued to watch and the reporters did various reports on inspirational stories and interviewed several "ordinary" runners that just did it. I wonder if I could do that? I contemplated this question for several weeks and ironically, it was a good friend of mine that was not a runner who gave me this obvious advice: Just do it. Just sign up and see what happens. What's the harm in that?

A couple weeks later, not quite ready to take that leap yet, I signed up for a local 5k. I was still really wondering what possibly could be the point of getting up so early to run. I can understand getting up early to hit the football field or take batting practice, but just to run? I'll start small and see what happens. I didn't even train for that first 5k, but when I started the race I felt that competitive spirit start to flow again. I knew i wasn't fast enough to win, but i could compete with the people around me. Awesome! I felt revived and new again. When I finished I wanted to go again! I wanted to beat that guy who caught me at the line. Let's go again buddy! I started training daily and yes, I got up early on Saturday morning to do a "long" run. Even though a long run in those days was 3-4 miles. A week later I sent in my registration for the mini. I didn't know if I could do it. I didn't know what I was getting into. I didn't know a bit about running. I had a pair of old Nike shoes, some workout shorts, a ratty t-shirt, and my hat. I just wanted to run. And all I had to do was sign up and see what happens.

Many things in this life happen because people are willing to face the unknown and just do it. Taking this little, in the grand scheme of things not really huge, risk I have found many interesting places, friends, accomplishments, and memories that I will always cherish. I have taken my body to limits that i didn't really think were possible. I have learned many things about life and living through this little thing called running.

Now I'm training for a marathon.....i still have questions in my mind. Can I do that? I would really like to do a triathlon. Can I do that?

Can I do that? The answer is so obvious: sign up, just do it, and see what happens.