Exercise

I just got back from a run, and I figured that I could use the thoughts I had during that run to write a journal under the ‘Leisure Activities’ category. Running is about the only means I have to try to stay in shape here in Spain, and I try to go for a long run at least 3 times a week. It helps to clear my head and I always feel a lot better when I am done. The course I have been doing ever since I got here starts me out on Ave Meridiana, running down to Glories, then getting on Diagonal and running down towards the beach; and then back. It takes about 45 minutes to do.

            As I said before, running helps clear my head. Thinking is really the only thing available to do while you’re running. If you don’t think a lot, then all you can focus on is how tired you are, how much your legs hurt, and how much you want to stop. Today I had a rather strange thought. I was comparing the run that I go on to my trip here in Spain, and how they really mirror each other.

            I start out by leaving my home and going out into the world. The moment I leave the door, I am just proud of myself for finding the motivation to run, and I feel great; like I could run a million miles without stopping. As I continue, I realize that maybe I can’t run a million miles, but everything still feels pretty good as I make my way to the halfway point. At the halfway point I am hating myself. I am tired, my legs hurt, and I just wish that I was at home. But I push on, because I have no choice, and head home. The way back is always easier. I get closer and closer to my apartment, and all my pain seems to go away. By the time I get to my apartment I am no longer tired, and I feel like I could go on for another mile or two.

            So here comes the part where I compare my run to my trip here in Barcelona. When I left, I couldn’t have been more excited to be here. But as time went on, and I got further and further from my family and friends back home, there were days when I got a little homesick. But then once I reached the halfway point, this place started to feel like home, and I didn’t really notice, on a regular basis, that it had been so long since I had been home. As the trip is winding down now with only a few weeks left, this place feels so natural to me, and I feel like I could go on a lot longer. I know that eventually I have to go home, and although I’ll be sad to leave Barcelona, I will be always be glad that I had the motivation and strength to make it happen (sorry if this doesn’t make sense to you. Its hard to organize the many thoughts you have on a run).