Running Into The Flow State

I'm a runner. I have memories of being a kid and feeling like I could run forever.  I would run to my friends house and then we would play basketball and run some more and then I would run home.  It was just natural and one of 3 independent modes of transportation available to me. Walk, run or bike. 

I stopped running as I got older. In fact, I disliked running. It became painful and uncomfortable. When I drove by other people running in my neighborhood, or in the park, I would cringe just watching them. 

Then something changed.  I don't know what gave me the initial inspiration to start running. Maybe it was reading the book "Born to Run", or the feeling that my life was too comfortable and I needed to shake things up, or that I looked in the mirror and didn't like what I saw.  It was probably a combination of all those things.

One of the reasons I love to run is that there are no barriers to running outside of my own mental and physical barriers. In other words, I'm the only barrier.  I have to overcome myself to run. As long as I have shoes, socks, shorts and a shirt, I can run anywhere at any time. 

I love competing against myself.  I don't run really long distances.  I'm a 5k runner (3.1 miles). This is the perfect distance for me to feel challenged. When I run organized 5ks I run against my previous best time.  I like the fact that I see improvement or I don't. It's the scorecard that shows if I put In the work.

I know the difference when I run and when I don't run. It effects all other areas of my life. Running is the catalyst for ideas, creativity and getting out of my own head.  It's therapy for me. 

When my mind and body are working congruently, I enter the flow state, and the flow state is where I want to live.