Running Hot and Cold

When I open the door at 4 am in February to go out for my ten kilometre run, I have only the mildest feeling of reluctance. When I open the door in July at 4 am to a blast of heat and humidity, I have the same absence of reluctance. No, I'm not making that up. Would I rather be curled up under warm blankets? No; that's where I was for over six hours, and that time has passed. I'm dressed properly, loosened up, and I know that I'll get through it, and I know that I'll feel pumped and ready for breakfast before facing the rest of the day.

I don't prevaricate endlessly about the little aches and pains that inevitably arise and are often used as excuses for not running. (I'm not talking about ignoring significant injuries here, just to clarify). I just do it because I can and because there are both immediate and long term rewards for doing it. Rewards such as heightened energy, better health, the experience of the run itself (which is never to be underestimated), etc.

A lot of people give up too easily. They don't see the rewards that come from persistently engaging in those activities. That approach carries through to everything; their work life becomes a stressful slugfest of whining and balking; their approach to everything from housework to pretty much anything that isn't spectacularly exciting in their view is weak. Their lives become a waste of time.

I'm not suggesting hyperactivity; I'm suggesting that quality of effort is required to reap the rewards. You don't need lotteries if you get up off your ass and do something that actually challenges you once in a while.