A panther has been terrorizing my tribe and overnight mauled my son within an inch of his life. My fellow tribesmen and I have taken to the jungle, hot on the path of the jungle cat, and we won’t return without it hoisted on our spears! This is how I will push through my next run.
I’ve taken to creating characters in my head at the beginning of my run — I spend that first agonizing mile creating a back story and a reason to run, and once I’m set, I dive deep into that character. So no longer am I running to get fit, or to hit 4 or 6 or 8 miles.
No, I am running from an angry village of cannibals after stealing the jewel they have guarded for as long as they’ve lived on this godforsaken uncharted island in the Pacific. What the — ?! Poison darts?! Better pick up the pace.
I’m stuck on these jungle themes because today I bought an album called “Drum Beats of the Pacific” that is a collection of all those intense jungle-escape rhythms from that scene in every movie ever.
How do I reconcile with the cold weather? Hmm… they’ve chased me from the rain forest into the mountains! That could help explain why I’m so inappropriately dressed…
Whatever the wacky scenario, it’s a good way to get your mind out of that “step-step-step-step, puff-puff-puff-puff” mentality. Get lost in your own little chase scene and before you know it, you’re back where you started, one workout in the bank.
Go slay a wooly mammoth or something. You’ve got to feed your family somehow.
TRAU
