The Adventure Run

You've probably read in this blog over the past couple of months that the one sport I'm really into is running. Not just short sprints down a track (even though those are fun too!), but miles-long journeys that really make me break a sweat. When I tell a lot people about the sport I love, their first reaction is usually a raised eyebrow and a surprised "Why would you want to do that?!"

This morning I discovered why I love the long runs.

I love the long runs because, for me, they're my chance to explore. Maybe when you were a little kid you used to crawl about the house, pretending to be Daniel Boone or Christopher Columbus and imagining that every new room, or the couch, or the rug was a new part of the world that you and you alone had found--and it made you proud of yourself. I felt the same way today on my run through the town I just moved to, Columbia, Missouri.

Columbia isn't really that big or that different of a town, but today I had a mission: to find all the streets on my six-mile morning run. I didn't have a map, just written directions and in a couple of places, even those failed and I had to improv. Those were the most exciting parts. People who live here probably know that Seventh Street doesn't go all the way to Wilkes Rd. or that part of my route actually crosses over Interstate 70 (a major highway through the state), but it was all news to me. At each new obstacle, I had to think and explore the streets in the heart of my new home to find a way to where I was going. Challenging myself like that is something I find really fun!

Finishing up a run is always kind of cool for me because I am relieved that I finished and usually excited at my time. But today was especially thrilling, because I knew that I had made it, all on my own and that I could conquer this place without map and just with my mind.That's why I do the long runs. That's what makes it exciting for me!