Distance run this week: 15 km.

I made some hill climbs on monday. I snapped some shots for your viewing pleasure. I apologize for the bad quality and exposure, they were taken with a really lousy camera phone (and I make no claim of being a good photographer in the first place).

 

What you see in the images above is what I see as I run the last part on my hill section. The more I run the more apparent it has become that the road itself has special meaning to me as a runner. Running is not a battle against the road however. The real battle is fought in the mind of the runner. It is in this battle that I feel that the road is my ally. It is the road which carries me forward. As I look up ahead it becomes my guide, always keeping an even pace with me to encourage me to continue.

 

Another observation is that while the road is the central part of the image – it is surrounded by nature. I have come to appreciate nature more since I started running and I feel very fortunate to live so close to it. Without it, I believe, running would not have that spiritual feeling that it has. It surprises me that I could speak in such terms, but I think running has changed me as a person. So running not only has a connection to the concept of the road as I described above but it is a road in itself. Because running surely is a road to self discovery.

Looking at that last image of myself makes me think that maybe I’m not just catching my breath there on the top of the hill, but maybe I’m also bowing, as if paying my respects to the road I’ve traveled to get there. As if praying to the god of the mountain… I’m not a religious man, and doubt I ever will be, but given the context I find the image slightly amusing, nonetheless.

I mentioned in an earlier log post that I found running to be meditative. But I think it is more than that. However there is no way for me to express that in words. The reason I brought the phone with me to take pictures was because I felt inspired to maybe do a portrait of myself running up that hill. Unfortunately I doubt I will have time to paint anytime soon.