It’s cruel

Isn’t it?

Yes I am talking about running.

It is not just at check point 47, 159km into the 245km Spartathlon race (from Athens to Sparta) that I notice this or come to the conclusion for the first time.

It has an insane ability to cause us pain and discomfort in every part of our body and throughout our emotions. Savage!

Sprint. Short. Mid. Long. Ultra. They all cast their spell on us in their own wicked way that somehow keeps us coming back for more, often a whole lot more.

Maybe it is cruel and maybe at heart we are all chasing lost masochistic dreams.

But the participation numbers do not line up that way, for me I am swayed on a different scent.

Yes it can be cruel, painful, all consuming, debilitating, but in being one or many of these things it may be just what we need, as if we allow it, it will grant us ultimate freedom.

It only remains cruel if we allow it to.