Runnin' Down a Dream

Yeah runnin' down a dream
That never would come to me
Workin' on a mystery, goin' wherever it leads
I'm runnin' down a dream

Running allows you to dream and then lets you chase that dream to whereever it leads. In your mind it appears within reach; with each step and breath, it is closer. You run a bit harder, faster and further to reach it. It is almost within your grasp. You reach deeper when you are fatiqued thinking you can't go anymore - certainly not faster, but you find that inner spiirit to pull you through. The inner spirit can take many forms - a person, a thought, an experience, but something that we can hold onto to to get to the finish and sometimes to the dream.

Racing is very much like this. Finishing is sometimes hard but if you know that there is a reward at the end it drives you harder to the finish and allows you to get through the rough times. You draw your energy from everywhere imaginable both mentally and physically. Your thoughts change, your legs stride differently, your arms help drive your legs, your breathing becomes a well-defined cadence, you look to find that one face in the crowd that gives you that last bit of assurance - the finish is in reach.

I raced twice this weekend. The George Sheehan Classic, a 5 miler dominated by Kenyans over the years but better known for its comunity spirit and charity. If you do not know who George Sheehan is, you should. He is one of the most profound philosophers as it relates to running that there has ever been. The race is held in his honor after he died of cancer several years ago. Forty of his family members ran in the race. I ran 36:45 finished 225 out of 1738 and 30th out of 193 in my age group. Overall, it was a good race.

On Sunday I ran Run For Dad 5K on father's day. I ran 21:55, good enough for 71 out of 458 and 9th in my age group. My Dad died at the age of 60 due to lung cancer as he was a smoker. I figure that for evevery breath that he couldn't take in his life, I have been able to take as a runner. I was able to pick that one face out in the crowd that got me to the finish - to see a smile at the end.

Even if your dreams are a mystery, even to you, keep running and you will find them. They will become more clear, within sight and reachable. You may find them in places where you might never look or in people who have touched you in ways you thought not possible.

Happy Father's Day Dad!