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A 1000 Mile Fuss

I remember each and every mile I ran this year. Actually, I don’t. I just lied. Most of it was a blur to me, and somehow I reached 1,000 miles.

Honestly, 1,000 miles is not even a big deal. It is just as arbitrary as, say, 267.8 miles. So I am not going to make a big fuss about it.

But inside that blurry 1,000 miles, there are some important moments I do remember clearly, like specks of bright and dark dots you could clearly see in a blurry mess of light.

Like, for example, I remember helping a very good friend of mine run 25 km for her 25th birthday, and especially the moment when we both ran up a steep hill up the dam to get a broad view of the lake and its horizon.

I remember running on deserted roads in India where a three-legged dog started chasing me and I had to sprint, so my dad accompanied me on my next runs on his scooter to shoo those dogs away from me.

I remember feeling miserable and alone on my birthday, so I attempted a mile PR because I needed a “win,” and I remember how, in the middle of that attempt, I felt a shooting pain up the underside of my foot, leading to a stupid plantar fasciitis injury and a long injury rehab.

I remember running the Eugene Marathon. I remember how I crossed the finish line and just collapsed to the ground, weeping uncontrollably like a 3-year-old baby.

I also remember one very early morning run in White Rock Lake when I was feeling lousy and depressed, and then I saw a glorious sunshine cast a golden glow over the lake. I remember wondering why that view did not magically take away my pain and make me feel better.

But what if the point is not to always feel better? What if I was meant to just experience whatever it is that’s thrown in my path?

If that’s the case, then maybe I should be celebrating these little moments and experiences I still remember in my brain from the 1,000 miles.

And I also worry that the number of miles and moments like these may decrease in the next years, and that all the miles I logged each year will be wiped off once I am no longer around.

So for today, maybe I should make a medium fuss about running 1,000+ miles for a second year straight.



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