“Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful.” — Will Ferrell
Chose your pain. Do you sacrifice and go for runs, stretching out your distance and needing more recovery time? Giving up going out with friends, eating all the yummy foods, running in the rain, and then running 26.2 miles and hitting the wall and suffering physically and emotionally before crossing the finish line and getting that medal, forever changed from the challenge?
Or do you sit on the couch, slowly expanding your waistline and clogging your arteries as you enjoy yourself and “take it easy”? Start having trouble walking long distances without your back hurting, then your knees. Then trouble walking up stairs, and your brain gets fuzzy as plaque builds up in your blood vessels. Then maybe you need a scooter to get around, and an oxygen tank.
Which suffering do you chose? The short-term suffering for achievement and glory and long-term health, or the current avoidance of pain to have it come to you compounded in the future?
Go for a run.