“All you need are these: certainty of judgement in the present moment; action for the common good in the present moment; and an attitude of gratitude in the present moment for anything that comes your way.” – Marcus Aurelius
Incredible words to think about; even moreso that they were written so long ago yet they are very applicable to our modern world.
Runners need to make snap judgements, sometimes in the middle of a run, in the middle of a step. We need to determine whether this trail or that trail is the right way or if it’s worth trying to walk across this fast-moving stream or should we go around? Is this dark street safe to run down? Did we bring enough water with us, and did I tell my best friend where I was running today?
We have to sometimes choose from things when there is no good choice, but a choice still has to be made….. do I drop out of a race and accept a DNF for a race I’ve trained for months or do I continue at the risk of suffering an injury.
Many things aren’t so severe, but they can seem to be serious, especially if our minds and bodies are tired during a run. Add dehydration and weariness in and our ability to make good, snap judgements suffers.
After our decision comes our action. If we continue on in a race where we may very well get injured, then we surely must see it through to the end, we tell ourselves. Is it worth the risk?
Our actions speak for us. It is how we live our lives every day. Our actions show the world who we are. If we make the promise to ourselves to eat right, to keep to our running schedule, do we talk ourselves out of running in the early morning hours? Do we shrug off our healthy way of eating when we go out to dinner with our friends? Do we help our fellow runners who are looking for advice, who need a ride to the race or who just need a friend and would love some company on a long trail run?
Our small, daily actions are what matter. Sure, those big, grand actions are great, but it’s the small things that really count. Always saying thank you to aid station volunteers, treating store employees as if they matter, not taking your minor frustrations out on those around you. These are the actions that count.
And finally, it is our gratitude that will carry us in the end. Be thankful for every single run, every single workout. Have a crappy run? So what, you still ran. Be thankful. You don’t have to believe in God, that’s not necessary. Just be thankful. Be grateful and show no arrogance. Not every run is a given, show joy and thankfulness for even the terrible runs, because some day, you may not have it.