Of running and furniture

A metaphor for running

Today's run (street): 4.1 miles
Yesterday's run (street): 3.2 miles

“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ― John Bingham, No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running.

I always liked that quote because it sums up the fear so many people have about going out for their first run. Or maybe it's about their first race. Either way, it's about overcoming fear related to running. I have my own, similar quote, but it's not about running. It's about assembling a Danish modern dresser with directions that contain confusing illustrations with no words.

“The miracle isn't that I managed to assemble this overcomplicated bunch of furniture parts that came with indecipherable directions. The miracle is that I had the courage not to ship it back to Denmark and ask for a refund.” ― The Emerging Runner.

Also, I haven't finished assembling it.

Besides spending time on that project, I've actually gotten out for a couple of runs. I'd hoped to complete four workouts this week but my hopes for an after work elliptical session were dashed by a late day meeting on Wednesday. Thursday night I had to attend a business dinner and didn't get home until 10:00 PM.

Friday was Mrs. Emerging Runner's birthday and I took it as a vacation day. My kids were off from school so we celebrated the day together. I got out fairly early and did my usual 3 mile neighborhood loop. Despite some misty rain at the start, 94% humidity and 10 MPH winds, I was comfortable in shorts and a single shirt layer. I ran okay but I was impatient to get through it. No miracles on that run.

This morning I got out a little earlier and faced much colder conditions. I've been trying to be better about selecting running clothes that will keep me comfortable through my run rather than only at the start. The 16 MPH wind was more than I bargained for and I regretted not having an over the ears hat. I broke away from my local streets and ran over to an adjacent neighborhood in Woodbury after covering a little more than 4 miles.

I went back to dresser assembly in the afternoon and made some progress. I've discovered that putting this unit together works better when I just focus on one challenge at a time. Just like the expression, "run the mile you're in",  my approach is to assemble this thing one confusing instruction page at a time.