Pace Yourself

When I was younger, running was all about beating something.  I concentrated on beating my best time, or beating someone else's time.  I tried to push myself as hard as I could without passing out.  Consequently, I hated running and wanted to quit all the time.  It felt great when I ran a good time, but I wasn't having an uplifting or enjoyable experience.

Today, as I ran I concentrated on listening to my body; not pushing myself too hard, but just trying to maintain a good pace without over-exerting myself.  I didn't worry about my time, or impressing someone else by running hard and improving quickly.  All I worried about was running hard enough to get a good workout, while listening to my body telling me if I was going too hard.  I only concentrated on running my pace.  As a result, I enjoyed the run.  I didn't enjoy it because I got a better time or because I pushed myself really hard.  I enjoyed it because of the experience of it.  I wasn't looking forward to the end of the run or thinking about how far I had gone, I just concentrated on the feeling of my breath filling my chest then releasing it and my feet hitting the pavement.

It showed me that it's possible to enjoy life no matter what circumstances I am in.  Happiness is not about making as much money as I want or having the biggest house possible.  It's not about avoiding mistakes at all costs or gaining more knowledge.  I don't find anything inherently wrong with these ideals, but they will not make me happy.  The way to be happy is to let go of my expectations, and just enjoy the moment I am in.  It's about running my own pace.