Forrest Gump

When Forrest Gump hit the theaters, I was all over it.  I loved the movie.  When it came out on VHS (yes, that's right, VHS) I bought it.  Couldn't get enough of it.

Run Forrest Run! One of my favorite movie lines...have used it over and over again.  Usually in jest.

Every time I hit the pavement or the treadmill I think to myself "Run Forrest Run."  I was not always a runner.  In fact I loathed running.  Sprints, suicides, laps--I detested it all.  I was an athlete, a jock, but not a runner.  Now I find it to be therapeutic.  A stress release.  A way to stay nimble.

The inspiration for my running was my friend Shannon.  As we were chatting at work about an upcoming 10k race, she suggested that I run it.  At first I had my reservations--fear really--that I wouldn't be able to do it.  But, I like a challenge more than I like perfection (or so I thought) so I accepted.  To ensure that I would go through with it I registered us.  Now we were locked in.

The mystery for me was training.  How would I (the non-runner) train for this 6.2 mile race?  I hopped online and found a host of training regimens at my fingertips.  I bookmarked the one that I liked best and set my course.

In short, I ran it.  I finished it.  It was hard.  My time sucked.

I'm a perfectionist.  As much as I wish it weren't so, it's true.  While I kept telling myself (and everyone else) that my goal was only to finish, I really wanted to finish at or under 10 minutes / mile.  When it was all said and done my time was 11 minutes / mile and I was less than thrilled.  To console my ego, I told myself, "it was a grueling course" (and trust me, it was!) "it was my first race," "I only trained for 5 weeks prior to the race."  All of these things were true.  So, why couldn't I just be happy that I finished?  I let my obsession with perfection get in the way of the satisfaction of conquering something that I never dreamed of doing.

I no longer run against myself.  I run for myself.  For the satisfaction of knowing that I run because I can.  For all of the same reasons that Forrest Gump liked running.

“I always loved running…it was something that you do by yourself, and under your own power.  You could go in any direction,  as fast or slow as you wanted, fighting if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.” Jesse Owens