Day 194: The Color Run

 I’ve run more races this summer than I have in the 10 summers previous combined. That’s a good and bad thing. Good in that I’ve gotten my arse off the couch and into gear. I’m healthier. I’m leaner. I’m of better mind and spirit. I feel just a little bit better about myself. Bad in that I let my arse sit on that couch all those years and let the time slip away. Still, it’s a good awakening, this fitness phase I’m currently in. I guess “fitness” is being a little generous. It’s not like I’m tearing up the roadways running my way to lofty heights by any means, but I have to say, the scenery on what little of the roadways I’ve managed to make my way down is a far better than the one I had from the couch.

That’s not to say I was a complete bum over the years. I worked hard for a living and hopefully gave my family a good way of life. I played ball some of those years. I golfed, and I did some bike riding on and off. Plus, I’m an active dad. When my kids were still of the age, I played with them for what I consider to be more than the average dad does. I gave of my time pretty willingly and pretty liberally. With my four-year-old, I think I’ve carried that on. Still, I’ll be the first to admit that playing five innings of softball a week isn’t anything like running several miles at a time several times a week. Not anywhere close. My affection for running hasn’t really grown any over the summer months, and most times I still find it a struggle to stay focused and keep putting one foot in front of the other, but I have to say, my affection for not feeling like a piece of washed-up crap day in and day out fuels me to keep the running up, and I’m grateful for that.

Tomorrow, it’s off to The Color Run in Omaha. Upon completing each 1K of 5K total, I’ll be rewarded by having complete strangers throw environmentally safe paint all over me. By race’s end, me and everyone else taking part will look like human equivalents of a Jackson Pollack painting. Better than that though is the opportunity to just get out and do something different and novel. Day to day life can be so mundane and repetitive. A venue to get a little crazy is definitely welcome. Plus, the ability to even get up off the couch and put one foot in front of the other isn’t lost on me. I’ve grown to really value of the ability to work toward being physical fit, to create some personal goals and challenges, and then have the focus to go out and make them happen. Not everyone has that ability.

Life is short. Kooky events like The Color Run make life stretch a little longer. They give you something to look forward to. They give you some strange moments to share with others. I love strange. Looking forward to seeing my friends and family get kooky, too.