The Queen, The Ant, and The I Don’t Know

Once upon a time there was an ant queen, whose strict rule forced a life of conformity, work and redundancy upon her colony.  Each day she sent her subjects out in search of food, and assigned workers to repair the damages made to the mound.  However, there was never enough food and always a need for more repairs.  She yelled, intimidated, and ordered them to work harder. When that failed, she imposed rigid guidelines with every ant assigned a job to be done in a specific way, without thought or question.

Everyday, a group of ants marched out of the mound in a single file line.  One after another, they would go in search of food, and one after another, they would carry the food back to the mound.  No ant ever stopped and no ant ever strayed out of line.  But one day, a breeze carrying a new and wonderful smell ruffled the line.  One ant stopped and sniffed the air.

The scent lingered and then faded.  The ant just had to know what that smell was.  He stepped out of line.  The other ants hesitated, for only a second, and then filled in the gap as if he was never there.  The ant searched all day for the source of that incredible scent.  Finally, right at dusk, he found something amazing.  It was huge but delicate, intricate, and the color of dawn.  It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and he knew the queen should have it.

Using all of his incredible strength, he carried the thing to the mound and joined the line behind the last ant.  Once inside, he passed the others ignoring their nervous glances and worried grumblings, and went right up to the queen.  He placed the beautiful thing before her and waited.

The queen looked upon the thing with disdain.

“What is this?”  she asked.

“I don’t know,” he replied.

“Well, can you eat an I Don’t Know?” she demanded.

“I don’t know.”

“Can you build with an I Don’t Know?”

“I don’t know.”

“Well then what do I want with an I Don’t Know?”  the queen asked, her anger mounting.   The ant was steadfast and replied with courage, “I’m not sure what you do with an I Don’t Know.  Maybe, just look at it, enjoy it, rejoice in it’s beauty.  That’s why I wanted you to have it. It’s beauty reminded me of you.”

Then something happened that had never happened before.  The queen briefly turned the same color as the I Don’t Know.  Slightly frightened by the heat on her cheeks, she hid her confusion and declared that the I Don’t Know could stay.

Days later another ant, encouraged by the bravery of the first, approached the queen.  “Your highness,” he said, “I’ve been thinking about the I Don’t Know.  It was found because someone left their line.  Perhaps, if we look outside of our line, we might find more food.”  The next day, the ants went out in new directions, and were happy to deliver not only more food, but new food that made the ants healthier and stronger.  The queen was pleased.

A few days later another ant approached the queen, “Your highness, I was thinking about the time you turned the same color as the I Don’t Know.  It gave me an idea.  So, we gathered more I Don’t Knows and are using them to disguise ourselves when we’re out of the mound.  Our casualties due to predators has decreased dramatically.”  The queen was pleased.

Not long after that, a carpenter ant approached the queen.  “Your highness, I was looking at the I Don’t Know, and I noticed a bunch of hidden crevices.  It got me thinking that maybe we should concentrate more on tunneling underground and less on building a mound.”  The queen allowed for the changes and the ants spent a lot less time rebuilding what they had already completed, and the queen was pleased.

The ant colony thrived and grew.  The food stores were rich, and the construction sound.  There was new time to generate ideas and create things for the colony.  The lives of the ants were fuller and happier.   All the changes were reflected in the rule and attitude of the queen and she recognized that it all started with one ant who decided to step out of line in search of something new.

 

Find beauty and art everyday.  Art is created by imagination and inspires imagination.  Imagination is the mother of innovation.  Innovation changes the world.

 

Where do you find beauty and art everyday?

Do you find beauty and art in your run?

Does your run inspire you?

Consistent in my Inconsistencies

When I sat down to write this blog entry I had every intention of answering the question I’ve been asked a lot lately, “Why would you start a running blog in August?”  The peak of summer doesn’t seem like the best time to reach runners.  Apparently, a typical runner might take it easy, or try some new cross-training activities in the summer.  I am not a typical runner, and this blog is not for typical runners.  Summer comes around and I quit, or so I thought.

In my first blog I talked about being consistent in my inconsistencies.  With the encouragement of my sweet husband, I started running in the fall of 2005.  Since then I’ve started and stopped several times.  Just how many times I started, when I quit, and why has all become a blur.  Luckily, I’ve been keeping running journals since my very first run.  (My love for the running journal will get it’s own post.)  I spent much longer than I probably should have going through these journals and creating a running record.  I am glad I did because what I found surprised me.

(Warning!  Below is a big list of stats.  A brutally honest look at my running journey.  If you just want to see what I learned from all these numbers and dates, jump to the next paragraph.)

 

The first time I started running:  October of 2005

I stopped in August of 2006

44 weeks of running.

26 weeks in a row, before registering a 0 day week

2 weeks where I didn’t run at all

6 weeks where I only ran 1 day

5 weeks where I only ran 2 days

9 of those 13 weeks where I recorded 0 – 2 days happened in the last 10 weeks

 

The second time I started running:  March of 2007

I stopped in April

6 weeks of running

Only 2 of those weeks had 3 or more running days

(Plus 1 random week later that year)

 

In 2008 I ran 4 weeks spread throughout the year

 

The third time I started running:  January of 2009

I stopped in August

33 weeks of running

22 of those weeks were 2 days or less

7 of those weeks I didn’t run at all

The last 10 weeks were all 0 or 1 day weeks

 

In 2010 I ran 1 day

 

The fourth time I started running:  October of 2011

I stopped in May 2012

30 weeks

18 of those weeks were 2 days or less

3 weeks I didn’t run at all

The last 5 out of 6 weeks, I ran 2 days or less

(Ran 2 days later that year)

 

According to my records, when I started running this June, it was my fifth and a quarter try.  (I figure all those random days and weeks count as a quarter of a try.)  I know the reason I stopped the first time.  There were several major life changes happening, including a move across country.  (Of course this probably would have been the best time to continue running.)  However, I was surprised to discover as I looked at my chart why I stopped all those other times.  The answer seems glaringly obvious.  I stopped because I never really started.  By that, I mean, I never fully committed to the lifestyle change running brings.

 

Let’s face it.  It’s hard to do.  In order to get in 3 – 4 runs a week, it takes planning, work, and sacrifice.  Some days you’re just physically pooped, others emotionally.  Just like any other relationship, it takes commitment.  My wishy-washy approach produced just what I should have expected, wishy-washy results.  Technically, this isn’t my fifth and a quarter try, but my second real start.

 

This time, there will be no divorce from my running.  I take this challenge to run and to sweat, in heat or in cold, for better or for worse, in whining and in joy, never my mileage shall part.  You are all witnesses to this ambitious occasion.  As my running commitment gift, thank you for holding me accountable.

 

Now it’s your turn Reluctant Runners!

What has kept you from running?

Where do your inconsistencies pop up the most?

Little Surprises

When I posted my first blog, my sweet husband asked me, “How often do you think you’ll post?  Once a month?”

I was aghast!  High off adrenaline and excitement, I was ready to post everyday!  Well, at least once or maybe twice a week.  Therein lies the problem of a blog.  Honestly, I could post whenever I want.  I could blog for eighteen days straight and then post nothing for months.  That doesn’t seem fair to you.  Like I said in my first post, I want this to be a relationship, and a good one at that.  Plus, I like having goals and deadlines.  A huge benefit of writing this blog is being held accountable.  With that in mind, I am officially announcing that you can expect a Running Through the Muddle post on the first and fifteenth of every month.

“Um, Amy,”  you might rightfully say, “today is neither the first or the fifteenth.”

You would be correct.  However, life and relationships are full of surprises.  Relationships full of good surprises are the best.

My running relationship keeps surprising me.  Every time I lace up my shoes and head out the door, I am amazed by how much inspiration I can find in the sweating, heavy legs, and brutal heat.  With each run, I find new ideas, thoughts, and stories!  If I can remember even a portion of the thoughts that come to me when I run, I will have plenty to share.

(The key of course, is remembering those thoughts.  Though running is suppose to help with memory… I think.. I’m pretty sure I read something along those lines…. I just can’t remember where.)

In the long run (pun intended, I love puns), you can count on me at least twice a month to share with you my thoughts on running.  However, you never know when a little surprise might pop up.  It might be a thought on running, or maybe just a thought inspired by running!

How about you?  Where do you find inspiration?  What thoughts run through your mind when you pound out the miles?  (I told you, I love puns!)

 

Hello, I am Amy and I am Runner

“Hello, I am Amy and I am a runner.”

Was that awkward?  It felt awkward.  It also felt misleading.  I guess a lot of introductions on the internet are awkward and misleading.

“Hello my name is Bob and I am in finance.”  (Insert profile pic with a big toothy grin here.)  Bob could work for the finance department in a large corporation, or Bob could be a conman financing himself.

“Hello I am Bambi and I’m a dancer.”  Already some of you are picturing a pole, but it could be that Bambi teaches ballet to children.

This first blog post is my introduction to you, and I don’t want to be misleading.  Though, I will probably be awkward.

I believe that having a blog is like being in a relationship.  In order for a relationship to work, there has to be trust.  To build that trust, I want you to have a clear picture right from the start of who I am and why I am writing this blog.

So, let’s try this again.  “Hello, I am Amy and I am a runner.”  However, I am not a gear loving, front of the pack, high-tech clothes, aiming for Boston kind of runner.  I am the got into this later than most, proud to be slow, consistent in my inconsistencies, reluctant kind of runner.

Why then would I want to write a blog about running?  Because I know there are more runners like me out there.  We buy Runner’s World and read it, delighting more in the recipes and “Ask Miles” than in the workouts that have all those confusing numbers.  We like to run, but understand when people look at us with that crazy “Why would you do that” face because we still don’t know.  We enjoy the fun runs, not for the PRs, but for the T-shirts, medals, and snacks.  We’re in it to win it, but our “it” is entirely different from the half-naked guy in the bright shoes doing sprints before a race.  This blog is for us.

I’d like to provide a place where it’s okay to dread the run sometimes.  A safe community where runners like me can come out of hiding and join in a conversation about running.  I hope that this blog not only motivates me, but all the runners like me because we are real runners!  So go ahead, say it loud, say it proud.  “Hello, I am a runner!”