Couch-to-5k; brief thoughts on running and life

This morning I completed the Couch-to-5k running plan. In a perfect world, this would have taken nine weeks, but I stretched it out over ten and a half weeks, due to repeating some days, and losing some time to the flu. Considering that I hadn’t run or even owned a pair of trainers since high school, this is a major achievement. I didn’t reach 5k on my last run, only 4.9k including warmup and cooldown walks, so my next goal is to actually run 5k.

My grand life plans for this year didn’t work out. Instead of completing an honours thesis in the middle of the year and completing an MDiv degree by the end of this year, I have put all study on hold until 2012. In summary, it’s been a case of burnout and misdirected ambition. I have spent most of my life (since I started school) developing my intellect at the expense of everything else. I’ve found, rather late in the piece, that intellectual achievement on its own is not very satisfying. My major project for the latter half of this year has been to learn to live with and like myself, and running has turned out to be a counter-intuitive solution. Going outside for a walk has often been my first remedy for stress or confusion. It’s been relatively easy for me to turn to running - in a sense it’s just extreme walking - as it doesn’t require the coordination or learning of rules that most sports involve.

I didn’t have to learn how to run, in the sense of propelling myself forward with my feet. I did have to start learning to run well, and I haven’t mastered this yet. I have had to learn to accept slowness because I simply cannot run fast at this stage in my life. Confronting and accepting the limitations of my physical body has taught me humility on a daily basis. As I’ve had to go slow physically, it’s become easier to accept slowing down in life. At this rate, I probably won’t complete a PhD by the age of 40 (I don’t even know when or whether I will start one), but this doesn’t feel like a disappointment now. And I have a new, non-intellectual practice to help me slow my mind when it starts overheating.

[Previously posted on Tumblr; I’m now making this blog my main blog.]