It’s late spring here in the great state of Ohio, or as I refer to it, allergy season. This is the time of year when the flowers are beginning to bloom, weeds are in full overgrowth mode, and grass is reaching for the stars. The colors are stunning everywhere you look, from verdant lawns to blush roses. Even the sounds of spring storms draw us to the ever changing world around us, washing away what was once a cold and barren landscape. This is the time of year when change is a daily experience for all who have prepared. The grass, weeds, and roses have all been lying dormant, waiting patiently for their time. Just as the storms have gathered high in atmospheric wisps of clouds weighed down with water vapor until they are full to bursting, so are all changes in long preparation.
Are we any different? Have we not prepared all winter and spring for our time to change? To morph from what we were to what we can be? We have made our arrangements for this time, by the hard work of winter runs are we now ready to face the onslaught of miles ahead of us. Yes, those miles in the cold snow have set us up to feel the breeze of spring air as a welcome change, as an old friend we have missed. Now indeed is the time to enjoy each and every run for your body and mind are in shape to actually take notice of the beauty around you, the world that is growing into its own just as you have done. The struggles of winter have passed and the strength built in your lungs through the spring are all coming to fruition. You forced yourself through sheer will of spirit to plod through what others were all too craven to face. Time to reap the rewards of your bravery and foresight as these are the days of easy miles and fragrant flowers of dewy mornings and wet muddy evenings. This is what you have prepared for.
Fear not those of us who may feel we missed the opportunity to prepare. Even now there is time to begin again. Even now there is a chance to build lung capacity, to build endurance, to bring your mind under control. Yes, for as sure as the wet spring will soon give way to the hot summer, change is inevitable for each of us. If you are ready, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to work through the tough miles of strengthening your body and mind, then you will soon be on your way to a beautiful summer filled with cool morning runs and hot evening jogs. This is the time to prepare, this is the time to will yourself out of the comfort zone you’ve created and into the unknown of what you are capable. Start slow. Go slow. But start. And go. And keep going. Because in the end the only way to get to summer, is through the winter.
Dr. G
#grinditoutrunning
