The Long Run – updated 2017
I ran a long run yesterday. It was a 15k (9.3 miles). It was the first I had run at that length. I did well, better than I expected. My body felt better than expected. Why? Because of the training. I have trained for 12 weeks with a great group that kept me going. We did hills, we did long runs on cold mornings, we did fast runs. We walked, we rested, we pushed, we sprinted.
I have a friend who is going through a really hard time. Her house is about to be foreclosed upon. Her ex owes a LOT of money in past child support and it won’t be coming soon. Her job, while secure right now, is not guaranteed secure. She is beaten down, stressed, at the end of her rope.
BUT, she is like a tiger. She may want to quit, want to not be the responsible one, not be the ‘good’ one. But, like the tiger, she will get up after chasing an antelope and not getting it, and she will try again. She has done it before. She will rest, she will sit in the sun for a few minutes, then get up and continue the fight for survival, running that long run. Why? Because of her training. She has raised kids, she has fought to make her marriage a success, she has worked hard to be employed and make a living. She has kept a home and kept her friends and family.
That won’t change now. She will do better than she expects. Because she has it in her to run the long run. Because she is a tiger.
And the same goes for you.
Drawing and commentary © Marty Coleman
“The long run is what puts the tiger in the cat.” – Billy Squires, 1950-not dead yet, American rock musician
