Day 5: Count-Down to the Los Angeles Marathon

Navigational Art and Directions By Colleen Yorke, © 2015.

The million dollar question: "What makes us happy?" We will differ in our ideas about what happiness is and how to find it. On the internet we find more resources than we probably ever care to read and targeting hyperlinks inviting us to wellness and positivity that do not target us at all. Why would I enjoy golfing in the tranquil Bandon Dunes? Have you ever seen me swing a golf club? Videos of happy strangers, and of course advertisements screaming to make us happy reach us 24/7. In a country with the fundamental right to 'pursue happiness', we certainly are engaged in defining and pursuing happiness on a day-to-day basis.

While defining happiness goes multiple ways, there is one road to attaining happiness. And yes, of course I am talking about running. Whether we track every mile or run gadget-free, the road naturally lays out goals and challenges. Completing goals that once seemed impossible underscore the power of what we can do when we put our mind to it. Interconnected with reducing stress and increasing self-confidence, running also can make our spirits soar. When I am running, I am running on pure happiness!

Today's run was 10.79 miles long, and I kept it mostly to jogging pace. I visited two downtown Los Angeles parks, the Echo Park and the Vista Hermosa Park. As the sun was just setting on the brim by the Echo Lake, I saw my own reflection dancing on the water. Suddenly I was reminded of a quote by Omar Khayyám: "Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” Five miles down the road, I continued my run with the DTLA Running Group. We took some stairs and ran across the Convention Center parking lots. It was a great night for running, and the scenery displayed Los Angeles in all its liveliness.

Flash Break at the Echo Park, 2014.

With only five days away from the marathon and very little running, some of us may experience bathroom scales bouncing up, mood swings, and that itch in the legs to chase down the roads. In the few days left, we should try to visualize the race in our minds, and remember how happy we feel when we run. We are this close. Very soon we will be hitting the roads again, living and breathing in the moment, running the run of our lives.
 

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Happiness is a choice.