A Relaxing Run

 Our lives can be so structured. Overstructured, really.

Schedules dominate our days. We need to keep to our meetings, our appointments, our myriad chores. And inevitably there are circumstances that arise that demand our immediate attention, another task -- or two, or three -- crammed into our day.

For me, it means I need my outlets.

One faithful outlet has been basketball. Since COVID in 2020, I join a group of guys at our local community center twice a week and ball out. We span a range of ages, and of skills. Some have played lots of organized ball, some haven't. But regardless of skill and knowledge, we congregate to play, get in a good workout, and immerse ourselves in competition and camaraderie that comes with playing a team sport as adults. We play hard, try to win, and have fun -- just the way it should be.

We generally play for 60-75 minutes during the lunch hour. Breaks between games are fleeting, as we are trying to get in as much play as possible within our allotted time.  There aren't many opportunities to have much conversation when we're rushing to return to the court.

We decided to change that by getting together, off the court and out of the gym, last Friday evening. We congregated at a local bar and watched our football team take care of business as we slugged down pitchers of beer and gobbled pizza. Best of all, by far, was talking, and getting to know each other better. I learned about some of my ball players' occupations, families, where they grew up, and so much more. 

I had a great time.

All that merrymaking left me fatigued and with some cobwebs in my head the next morning. I shuffled around for a bit, trying to decide what to do on an on-off rainy day. I shrugged off my usual reflexive action of tuning into a soccer match or lapsing into melting into a series of college football games I wouldn't have cared about.

I made a better decision. I went for a run.

I don't jog as much as I used to. Basketball, by far my primary athletic participatory love, is my main outlet. But I've long found a run as a very good complement. I don't run as far as before; I go 4-6 miles, and call that enough. But I will say that, unlike basketball, a run represents a true personal outlet. It's just you and outdoors. No teammates, no chatter, just the quiet around you and the satisfaction of your body in movement, a rhythmic, almost machine-like propulsion in space.

I remember when training for my first marathon how astonished I was that during long runs, my mind would simply switch off, and wander from one thought to another, as my body moved effortlessly forward. It was exhilarating, really, knowing the miles I was knocking down with ease. I felt almost invincible.

I still get that feeling of mental liberation and physical production on runs, although they are briefer, considering the shortened distances. What I like best is I simply relax. My brain still switches off, and when it does engage, I am having constructive thoughts. Any negativity, or worry, is ignored. I think about my state of affairs in a positive vein, such as what I can do to improve myself, rather than tearing myself down in potshots of blame.

It's well known that physical exercise confers a wealth of mental and physical benefits. I am blessed to have two really good outlets -- one social, the other more in solitude -- that I can rely upon when my life becomes -- or seems to be -- veering into too much structure. So needed, so necessary.

And, so much fun.