I just felt like running (again)

Until a couple of months ago. Just like Forrest Gump, I knew that my running days were over. No chronic injuries or fatal conditions triggered by my running. I just reached the end of the road.

A quote from the post I Am the Resurrection (yes that is a Stone Roses reference). It was my first post on this site in nearly a decade.

In the preceding years I had dedicated much time and energy into running. Another quote from the same post:

So I became a guy who ran. More than that, I was a guy who thought about running, read about running and listened to podcasts about running. I talked about running and I wrote about running. It was who I was.

Running had consumed me. Stepping back in the fall of 2023 brought immense relief. And it was time to explore who else I could be.

Explored I have. Much of what I spent time on is documented through posts or notes on this blog.

I've rekindled my interest for making websites and made my own static site generator. Taken a deep dive into the world of self hosting and closed my accounts with several tech giants. Claimed ownership of my own data and how I share it by making a reading log and a workout log. Those projects were of course documented through posts about making a reading log and making a workout log.

I even experienced a brief moment of internet fame when, as my friend Fabian phrased it, unlocked the nerd archivement of having a post make the front page of Hacker News. Still can't believe it had to be that post.

It's been fun. I've found new sides to myself. New interests. New friends.

With spring, however, something changed. Or, rather, clicked back into place.

My customary "just trying to preserve a modicum of fitness" runs changed character. I started looking forward to getting up in the mornings. Did a couple of workouts to gauge my fitness.

Best I can describe the feeling is that it was like fitting back into old, comfortable grooves. Before long, I knew. "I'm back!" I proclaimed to my wife. "I'm a runner again!"

What changed? I don't know. Perhaps it was that my body finally recovered after years of not me not listening. Or maybe my impending fortieth birthday reminded me that if I want to improve, it's now or never. Who knows, maybe the great spring weather was the magic ingredient.

All I know is that I just felt like running (again).

So now I do.