Head Over Heels: May 2011

May 4, 2011

Born to Run

I recently started reading Born to Run, after numerous recommendations and shocked responses of "What? You haven't read this book yet?!" Because I'm a MA Publishing & Writing student, I get wary when a book comes that highly recommended, but because I'm a runner who is also in constant need of motivation, I decided it was time to open the book. And wow, am I so glad I did! Granted, I'm only halfway through, but keep in mind I started this book less than 24 hours ago. I cannot put it down. I'm already bummed that there's only half the book left; it's so good that I wish it didn't have to end. It's one of those books. It's a MUST read. Born To Run had me so inspired that in the past 24 hours, I've run 12 miles, simply because when I wasn't reading, I had to be running (minus the time spent at work/internship/and the few hours sleeping).

During my run last night I kept thinking about the book, and about this one quotation in particular that the author, Christopher McDougall, had cited: ""Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

With that quotation fixed in my brain, my run felt effortless. I felt like I was floating around the Charles, and like I could run forever.

Final word: READ THIS BOOK!!! http://www.chrismcdougall.com/

Welcome to Head Over Heels!

Like many 20-something women, I woke up one morning exasperated. It seemed like every day I would find a new passion, a new dream, and get excited about yet another project, just to find that they would all crash and burn. I wanted something that I could control and that would be all mine.

Because our 20s are a time of exploration and discovery, it's very hard to find that path that directs us exactly to our dreams, especially because our dreams have the habit of evolving overnight. I had worn myself into a tizzy of exhaustion, disappointment, and an overwhelming sense of having no control over my own life. And that's when I went for that first run.

Two minutes later, I arrived back at my apartment steps, panting. As long and as torturous as those two minutes felt, they also gave me a sense of liberation, a feeling that had been severely lacking in my life. The next day, pathetically still sore, I again put on my sneakers. Three minutes, yes! This routine was repeated daily throughout the summer and now, I'm a half-marathoner! My ultimate goal, a marathon, still looms in the distant future, but the even bigger goal is one I can actively work on every day: learning to gain control over my own life and learning to fall in love with myself one step at a time.