One of my earliest memories of running involved my parents and the beaches in Hawaii. My parents have been avid walkers for as long as I can remember, and for a while in my early teens I would walk with my parents from the house to the beach. Being a spirited teenager, as soon as we hit the beach, I would take off and run down the beach away from my parents. God forbid I run into any of my friends or acquaintances while I was hanging out with my parents. That wasn’t cool in the 80’s!
I would run in the sand, warm water hitting my ankles, checking out the surfers and of course listening to A Flock of Seagulls. I had a Walkman that would automatically flip sides and I would listen to that tape over and over again on those walk/runs. Every time I hear the song I Ran (So Far Away) it takes me back to running up and down Kailua Beach.
Truth be told, I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love it because it melts away stress, giving me time and resolve to focus and push both mind and body. It’s easy, at least in theory. One foot in front of the other, doing something we all learned to do when we were toddlers. No fancy equipment, no learning complicated routines. And unfortunately no good excuses. Throw on some clothes and a pair of running shoes and that’s all you need. I hate it because it’s tough. My knees hurt. My hips hurt. And when I’m running in Utah, my lungs hurt from the altitude. I’ve learned over the years I do not have a runners body or the form to go with it. I normally don’t stray too far from my 3-4 mile runs, but I did train and run a marathon in 2005. My sister was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and that gave me the resolve I needed to train for a marathon. I raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma society and it kept me going through all the knee and hip pain as I pushed myself through.
Since then I’ve run a handful of half marathons (the perfect race distance if you ask me) and lots of 5k’s. While races are fun, running has never been about the racing. Fo me it’s about getting outside and getting your body working. I’ve learned that for me, I do best when I do a 2 minute run, followed by a 1 minute fast walk. It keeps my knees and hips from aching too much and I like that it breaks it up a little.
Running today on Rockaway Beach in Oregon felt like running as a teenager on Kailua Beach. The white sand and the beautiful water a reminder of timeless beauty. The air temps were a little cooler but I love running with the sound of the waves and the wind coming off the ocean. It was a beautiful day for a run and I feel very lucky to have the legs that will carry me. I whispered a silent thanks to my parents for setting an example of how important movement is, and hope everyone gets out for a run or walk now and again!
So I run. I run so far away…
Mona
