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| Peaches –> Cobbler —> Running. (Huh? Read on.) |
It’s probably no surprise that I think about running a lot, given that I’ve been training for a half marathon and I write a running blog. But what has surprised me lately, is when I think about running. It’s starting to pop into my mind at unexpected points in my day.
We recently took Will and Andrew to an orchard to pick peaches and apples. I went with my in-laws, and there MAY have been a slight miscommunication about how much fruit we should pick based on what they wanted to take home. All I know is that they left, and I looked at my counter and thought “ohhhhh @#$%.”
I made peach jam. We ate peaches. We put peaches in smoothies.
There were still 30 peaches left. I decided to make peach cobbler for company that was coming the next day. Except, hey, we’ve got a ton of peaches, and I’m not going to want to wait until tomorrow to eat some cobber, so I’ll make a double batch and we can give some to the neighbors and have a taste tonight.
Ok, great. Except that meant peeling and slicing TWENTY PEACHES. Five peaches in, I’m trying not to peel my thumb as the washed fruit slides around in one palm, glancing at the clock and wondering if I’m actually going to be able to get this done before my babysitter leaves. (Why can’t I get a pedicure or read a book when I have a sitter, like a normal person? Why do I decide to peel and slice twenty freaking peaches?!?!)
Anyway, I peeled the peaches. And as I was peeling the peaches, I just kept staring at that pile, knowing it’d get smaller, knowing that eventually I’d be on the other side of that task and I’d have myself some peach cobbler to show for it.
Yum. I could have decided to just make a single batch of peach cobbler, but I had committed. Like my long runs once I got the hang of them, the question was never whether or not I was going to finish, it was just how fast I was going to get it done (and with how much complaining).
Running has made me better at finishing… everything. I have this new sense of purposefulness when facing a task I’d rather not be completing at any given time. I figure out what comes next, I settle into what has to be done, and I know that eventually, I’ll be on the other side. I think much of that character has come from running.
If you’ve done any distance running especially, you know what it’s like to exert yourself steadily for a long time. To just keep at it, and keep at it, and keep at it. You know what it’s like to keep going when you’re tired. To settle into a zone and push past fatigue and discomfort and the nagging voice in your head telling you to stop and walk even though it’d take you an extra half hour to get home.
You wouldn’t stop at one batch of peach cobbler, it wouldn’t even occur to you. You’d just settle in, think about something besides the tedium and your wrist hurting, and you’d peel those 20 peaches. You know you brought it on yourself, and you don’t care. Because once you’ve started something, you darn well finish it.
Makes me wonder… how many ways does running improve our lives that we’re not even aware of?
It is amazing how much something as simple as running affects pretty much every other aspect of our lives.
The peach cobbler looks fantastic!
The peach cobbler was really good! Worth peeling the peaches for. Here’s the recipe I used if anyone is curious – Fresh Southern Peach Cobbler. It won’t win a health award, but I like to make desserts full strength and just eat them much less infrequently!
Great analogy! I’ve never tried peach cobbler, but those looks delicious!
It was great!