What kind of year has it been

As promised, this is my last post on this blog. My intention from the beginning was to keep sharing my thoughts until they were no longer prevalent in my mind. As timing would have it, it is pretty much a year since I started chronicling my thoughts and feelings, most of which were running related but some of which breached the frontiers of Runner 'Been and attempted to offer some wider lessons in life. Those lessons were primarily meant for me; as was this blog. It was a compelling way to keep track of my progress; mentally rather than physically. My mind is swamped with vast reaches of thoughts and ideas, mostly mundane so that I often misplace those crucial rare epiphanies. I hope I've captured the important underlying themes and lessons that distance running has presented to me, whatever they are.

As I have previously mentioned, my primary thoughts currently lie elsewhere. However, running is now an integral part of me to the extent that talking about it almost seems unnatural. After all, I don't blog about eating, sleeping or breathing (and let's be thankful of that). Such is running; I can't imagine my life without it now and am grateful for the opportunity to benefit from something I love so much. Sensationalist, perhaps, but that's how I'm made. After all, it would be a shame to spend a year blogging about anything short of a passion.

So I'll march on, hopefully. My immediate plans with respect to running are now set: the Birmingham half in October, as a prelude to the next main event: the London Marathon 2011. All the time, I am improving all round fitness and, whilst injury concerns continue to infiltrate my thoughts, optimism and joy remains. I don't know if and when it all ends, but I am excited at the prospect of venturing further to great unknowns.

I part with a simple piece of advice. Don't take up running just to get fit or because it seems like a sensible thing to do. Keep an open mind, because there is something truly wonderful lurking once you probe deeply enough. We are, for the most part, built for running and like anything worth having in life, it takes a great deal of patience and endurance before you get to see the pretty side. Trust me, it's worth waiting for.

Runner 'Been signs off, with a huge thank you to everyone who has supported my efforts in the last year. My journey continues off this page and I'll always welcome your kind words of support and helpful advice (not to mention donations). I'll finish with this relevant adage:

"We don't stop running because we get old. We get old because we stop running."

:)