James - 2

18:28

I was trying to do a fast 5K due to time restrictions but my shoe came undone.

I present here something to think about on those difficult runs. From the book How To Be Free and the chapter Disarm Pain:

"Nietzsche was of the opinion that the rejection of pain is a rejection of life . . . I recently decided that, instead of avoiding hardship and pushing it away with central heating and air-conditioning, it might be sensible to embrace it. Yes, that might sound like a strange idea coming from the pen of an idler, but could embracing hardship be the path to freedom? For example, I recently considered buying a draughty old Land Rover to replace my old, luxury American van, partly because, in the Land Rover, you are better exposed to the elements. This is not to deny the pleasures of the log fire; indeed, the pleasures of the log fire are all the more intense when you have been out in the snow to chop up the logs for it. This is a pleasure that those with underfloor heating cannot experience. This is what the medievals enjoyed -- the harsh contrast between hardship and pleasure. The fire is all the cosier when you've been for a long walk in the cold.

Or for a long run. What runner can't relate to this pain/pleasure satisfaction?