A really nice run today.
Well, I got an email from the Tokyo Marathon organizers. The lottery results will be in at the end of the month. I put on my ambient playlist, stashed some money in my pocket for a water, and headed off down the road. I changed up my route today to make things a little more interesting, and had forgotten what a great thing that can be just for the overall mood of the run. I also realized that I am an extremely goal-oriented creature. Thinking about "better times" makes me feel like I am sitting in high school Algebra class with the goddamn teacher standing over my shoulders. I like to think about goals. Destinations.
As a matter of fact, the first time I ran 20 miles without stopping was the time I plotted a long course along the Sea of Japan, down the coast, and into the rice fields and lone mountains of a town called Yahiko. I ran to one of my favorite Shinto shrines there, where my wife and son picked me up. The goal? The shrine. And then the beautiful dip in the local onsen afterwards. My second and final long run in last year's training was a journey to another hot spring, this time chartering a course down the winding Agano river.
I like the adventure. The curves. The not knowing, and also the knowing that there is a very unique and individual goal I am out to accomplish. The destination is a real place up ahead in the distance, and it is up to me and no one else to get there.
Thanks for stopping by, guys. Onward we go.
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~KafkA
Graham Smith is a Voluntaryist activist, creator, and peaceful parent residing in Niigata City, Japan. Graham runs the "Voluntary Japan" online initiative with a presence here on Steem, as well as DLive and Twitter. (Hit me up so I can stop talking about myself in the third person!)