Comfort

I accidentally left my running shoes in my office yesterday so when I went for my run around the neighborhood this morning I had to use an old pair that I had retired awhile back. You know that saying "as comfortable as an old pair of shoes"? I was surprised at how comfortable these shoes were. After all, I had tossed them in favor of new shoes, right? So as I was having a great run I was thinking "Why did I get rid of these things? They're so comfortable!" The answer, of course, is that they have a lot of mileage on them and, despite the fact that they felt comfortable for a quick 3 mile run, the cushioning is pretty much gone and if I had continued to run in them my feet would have paid the price.

This simple thought process on running shoes lead me to a more profound conclusion on comfort. Just because something is comfortable doesn't mean that it's what's best for you. In running and in life you have to push yourself outside of your comfort zone from time to time. If I hadn't pushed myself in my training there's no way I would have broken the 9-minute-mile barrier in the Broad Street Run a few weeks ago. The same goes for life. You're never going to discover new things (about the world or yourself) if you don't push yourself. Now, that's not to say that being comfortable is bad. Certainly I would tell anyone who is taking up running that it shouldn't hurt all of the time! But if you're comfortable all of the time then you're not exploring your full potential. And I think the same goes for life. Comfortable is good sometimes but not always.

Well, that's my musing for the day (after a particularly good run). Maybe I should stop drinking so early in the morning.