To run is to practice radical acceptance.

A run can be effected by so many factors – hydration, nutrition, caffeine, time of day, running surface, route, weather, energy level, shoes, Spotify playlists, expectations. Even that overpriced Dri-FIT shirt that hugs your neck a little too tight can make a run less enjoyable.

This is the art of running. It’s not guaranteed to be great all the time or even the majority of the time. Running is a microcosm of life itself – mostly unpredictable, often mundane, occasionally painful, and sometimes wonderful. But even when the run is just average or even bad, there’s still a sense of accomplishment to be felt, a Strava post to be made, and gratitude to be experienced.

Running can help us practice important philosophies for everyday life. It helps us recognize that the path of least resistance is acceptance and gratitude. Accepting what is thrown our way and continuing to move forward. Recognizing and appreciating what we can do, how we can think, what we can choose.

Running is full of suboptimal moments that allow us to choose how we respond and proceed. These moments can also remind us to take life a little less seriously. You can crush the 4-month training plan and still miss your goal time on race day. You can follow through on the warm up and recovery routines and still get hit with shin splints. I’ve even busted my face tripping over my own feet while attempting a speed workout on a flat track. Things don’t always make sense. But if we accept that these moments just happen, we give ourselves the power to choose grace and humility.

Running can be difficult, disappointing, and dreadful. But it can also be fun, empowering, and rewarding. Such is life.