Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Shoelaces, Connections, and Running

First, the title.

I’m a runner. Running is supposedly an “easy” sport. You put on sneakers (aka. “running shoes”) and do what you’ve been doing ever since you mastered walking. Sure, you can make more of it—and when you truly train for something, you do—but at its essence, it supposed to stay simple.

However, the step between deciding to run and actually running, tying my laces, creates a challenge for me. If I don’t get the tension just right, running just feels wrong. Tied too tightly my laces restrict blood flow to and from my feet. Tied too loosely my laces allow my foot to flop like a single sock in a clothes dryer. Only when the connections are correct can my run feel anything close to comfortable.

That idea, connections, has always intrigued me. As a result, connections often consume my thinking when I’m logging miles.


That’s what this blog will be about: running, thoughts I have while doing it, and anything else that seems connected, no matter how remotely, to it. Postings here will be mentally drafted during my runs, and, as time allows, crafted to communicate to any interested readers.

Don’t expect deep insights (though I’ll try) or just another runner logging his mileage and weather conditions. Most posts will fall somewhere between the profound and mundane—at least that’s the goal. You can let me know via comments how close I come to either end of the spectrum.


[And if you are a runner who wants to know my mileage and other mundane details, find me at dailymile.com (kdwashburn) or at nikeplus.com (kdwashburn). Those are the my sites of the mundane.]


Until next time, may your laces allow you to keep moving forward.