“Running is amazing. And then it’s painful. And then it’s amazing again. And in between the amazing and the painful, it’s ordinary and mundane and routine. Breathe in the amazing, hold on through the pain, and relax and exhale during the ordinary. That’s just running. Heartbreaking, soul-healing, amazing, painful, mundane. And it’s breathtakingly beautiful.”
This quote was adapted from author L. R. Knost by a friend of mine and ultra-runner, Nick Schuster. He shared “his version” with me and others on the first day of the USATF Junior Olympic National Championships in Paris, Kentucky. His son was running in that race, as well as my two daughters and a handful of other young athletes that I coach. Of course, they probably didn’t feel the power of these words in that moment the way that we might as adults. Nevertheless, I still made sure that I shared this with all of the kids running that day in the last moments we had before sending them to the start line.
I really love seeking and finding joy in tough moments; sometimes on race day but often just in practice. As I reflected on that quote over the following days, the first three statements rang true and developed a deep meaning to me as a runner and coach.
“Running is Amazing” – Runners, and particularly these kids I have the privilege of coaching, practice hard all season. Some are even doing extra work between team practices. And then they line up on that start line… anticipating the start, the gun, ready to push hard off the line. There’s comradery and joy among teammates and even opposing teams while nerves start to take over and adrenaline starts to peak. The starting gun goes off and the crowd goes from silent to a roaring ovation.
“And then it’s painful” – 1000 meters in and maybe they went out too fast, or maybe their muscles are starting to burn. Maybe they’re having trouble catching their breath. Sometimes at this point, a lot of people wonder why they even started in the first place. Every step feels like it should be the last one. And any normal person in any normal situation would probably stop before the pain gets any worse. They’d stop and walk because it hurts too much to go on running.
“And then it’s amazing again” – Over and over, these kids and runners in races around the world, push to the finish line. Running up and down hills, through sun and rain. Pushing with everything they have left, and sometimes finding something else they didn’t even know they had to begin with. Approaching the finish line and watching the clock to see if maybe they’ve gotten a PR. Looking around and counting the other kids that have crossed the line and wondering what their place is. Mostly, you can see the satisfaction on any runner’s face just knowing that they’ve finished. There are smiles and there are tears… and sometimes both. But there are always parents, friends, coaches waiting there to celebrate and congratulate them on giving their best effort.
I never want to see that stop. My favorite part of coaching has been encouraging the kids I work with to do something that so many people, even so many of us adults, have never done before… Pushing through pain to a personal success. It may not always look like much to some, but there is so much to be proud of in every finished race. There are so many hours prior to that one step across the finish line. So much work that goes into that moment of excitement and joy. That’s what I love about running. I love being a part of that.
-Matt
GA Runners 