joy series: running a half marathon

this weekend i ran a half marathon and i did not train well for it. i stopped training about 2 months ago and i finished with in 1:56:38, which is about a 9 minute average pace. i felt good. had i trained for two months, properly, and worked on it, i may have run faster. i may not have run faster. but i did not really earn it.

as weird as it sounds, if i could go out and run those times, regularly, without training, i think it would get kind of boring and empty. the challenge is the challenge, the path is the reward.

the struggle is guaranteed; love the journey.

it is a cliche because it contains a profound truth. when you are working in and out of love, that is the way to go. that does not mean that it will be all easy, but it is the sustainable path.

a sustainable path is fascinating. maybe you have been popular, or an outcast, or a scholar, or a writer, a fighter, a musician, an artist, a movie buff, an athlete, a counselor, or a good friend. some of these come and go, some for longer than others. my goal right now is to figure out what i like doing, the things i like doing, and continue to do them.

i want to stop yo-yo-ing from running to not running, to being in shape, then not being in shape. there is something special about being about to continue things and mix it up. sure it does get boring after a while to do the same thing, but it could also be the way to go.

it has been challenging. what activities do you do that you like?