Thursday, July 28, 2011

Going Superhero

"That's what running does to lives.  It's not just excercise.  It's not just acheivement.  It's a daily discipline that has nothing to do with speed, weight, social status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, where you live, what car you drive, or whether anyone anywhere loves you.  It's about the slow and painful process of being the best you can be.  That's why the first step out the door is always so hard.  That's when we choose between settling for average and being a superhero version of ourselves.
Some days, average wins.
But man, when you go superhero..."

~From To Be a Runner By Martin Dugard (seriously go read this book)

poppy art pink by essie
I don't know if it was the fresh mani pedi I gave myself before bed last night (yay pink), the 9 hours of sleep, or the beautiful weather this morning, but everything feels fresh today.  Hopeful.  Brilliant.  I sent an email right before I left work yesterday and today it yielded fabulous results, crossing a huge to-do off my list and giving me the momentum I needed to kick today's petutie (pronounced: peh tOOt ee).

Since I had such a wonderful time reading Martin Dugard's memoir through running (see AMAZING quote from above), I decided to try another.  New York Public Library's Mid-Manhattan branch has a pretty sizable section of sports books on the 5th floor (found where the 300 signs meet the 900 signs, I was confused too).  If you're an athlete and are looking for some inspiration in your sport without dropping any moolah, I highly recommend it.  I picked up Bart Yasso's My Life on the Run.  I'm super excited to read this one, as he's a great contributor to Runner's World (obV my favorite magazine ever), and apparently he was a groomsman at my aunts wedding.  So, even though he doesn't know I exist, it's like we're besties, right?

Tonight I'm headed out for another 5-6 miler.  I haven't decided which direction I'll head out on yet, but I think it might be a park day...either way, I'm totally going superhero today.



3 comments:

  1. You have to come run the boardwalk with me one weekend! :)

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  2. Aubrie! Have you ever read any books by Haruki Murakami? Well i love him. But... he wrote this book "What I talk about when I talk about running" and i want to give it to you. I read some of it... but it's better off in your hands!

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  3. Keelie- Definitely!! It must be amazing to run by the water

    Kate- That book is totally on my list, I'd love to read it after you :)

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