It’s strange thinking back on it now, but there was a time when being a runner was a big part of my identity. I used to log serious miles each week. At the height of my training, I was running a half marathon weekly – on my own. I raced in a few New York Road Runners races every month and I ran the NYC Marathon twice. And then, after my second marathon, I somehow ran running out of my system. I had zero desire to run again. I stopped running altogether. And now I can’t help wondering why I ran in the first place.
Burning Man takes place at the height of the NYC marathon training program, when runners should be logging some of the highest weekly mileage of their training program. I was so committed to running, I continued my training at the Burn. One day I was running part of the Burning Man Ultra course, and someone yelled out to me from an art car speeding by, “What are you running from?” At the time I brushed it off, it was “so Burning Man”. But in retrospect, it was a really good question, one that I still don’t have an answer for.
Now that I’m self-distancing I’ve started running again It’s been okay, but I’m pretty much only running because my exercise options are so limited these days. I’m still trying to wrap my head around why I was so into it only a few years ago.
Have you ever experienced something like this? Let me know in the comments!
Jayne
