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On a recent long run, I took 26,700 steps. 26,700 times my feet pounded the pavement and the rest of my body was called into action to make that step possible, efficient, powerful. This happened over and over in the darkness of the morning. With every step, I kept thinking about how many things are working together perfectly at this moment to allow me to experience this run. This made me appreciate just how spectacularly our bodies were designed.
When I was in middle school, I remember a classmate arguing with me that running is not good for the body. Someone had convinced her that the pounding simply was too much for the body and therefore should be avoided altogether. She used this as a crutch to avoid movement. I believe the body was made to run, and through running, we employ its full potential.
I think we generally view the body as fragile. As runners, we often wonder what injury is around the corner. Instead, we need to change this view and start seeing the body for what it is –resilient. Yes, we might get injured from time-to-time, but fear of injury might be the greatest cause of injury. Instead, we need to focus on the fact that our feet can pound the pavement 26,700 times and live to fight another day.