Don't take it for granted.

When everything is going great we don’t ever think about what could possibly go wrong. We just continue to embrace the moment and forget about the possible consequences. We don’t think about our greatest fears coming to life or about losing the one thing that makes us happy. We are oblivious, and the thought of everything going downhill doesn’t even cross our minds. 

Until it does. 
And then there is nothing left. 

There is nothing left but the memories of the most memorable season before. You can’t even begin to fathom as to how you just had the greatest season of your life, followed by an off season full of hard training. Now you are sitting in the doctor's office wishing you were running, but instead you are playing the waiting game as to what went wrong. You start to realize all that you were given, and now it’s all gone. The one thing that made your smile shine brighter than the sun is gone, and your days have faded into darkness.You realize all of the little things you took for granted, and now you would do anything to go back. 

So please don’t do it.
Don’t take it for granted. 

The next time you have a grueling workout go ahead and crush it. Even when you don’t want to. Because there is somebody sitting on the sidelines wishing they were able to feel that burn in their lungs and run so fast that their legs become weak. There is somebody who wishes just one last time they could run 800 meter repeats without having to be pulled off the track. There is somebody who has heard you complain about the workout or has seen you not give 100%. They envy you because they wish so badly that they could feel the accomplishment of crushing a speed workout. There is somebody who wishes they were able to put in the work to accomplish the main goal in running: to get faster. 

The next time you have the opportunity to go on a long run, take it and embrace it. Lace up your shoes and enjoy the feeling of fresh air clearing your lungs while the birds chirp along the trail. Embrace the sun beating on your skin while you get to log more miles than you ever thought possible. Enjoy the conversations with your running buddies on the long runs because somebody wishes they could. Just one more time, somebody wishes they could lace up their shoes and find a place to enjoy the beauty of this sport. Somebody wishes they could hear their shoes pounding the pavement or crushing the gravel. There is somebody who misses that feeling. 

The next time that you get to race, give it your all. When you don’t think you can go faster or catch that girl in front of you push your body to the next level. When you don’t think you can finish any harder sprint faster towards that finish line, and find a new appreciation for the crowd screaming your name. Because somewhere up in that crowd is a runner who would do anything to put on a pair of spikes and give 110% out on that track. There is a runner who will not get to experience the celebration of the post meet like you will. There is a runner who is watching competitors that they used to beat run new PRs, and it is tearing them apart. There is a runner who wishes they could feel the excitement about racing. There is a runner who wishes they could do the one thing they love most: compete. 

The next time your coach gives you advice, trust them. They coach for a reason, and that is to help mold you into the best athlete that you can be. So don’t blow them off, because they know, and they want what is best for you even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time. Somewhere out there, there is an athlete who wishes they would have listened because now they are hurting. Now the rest of their season is in jeopardy, and they are so angry at themselves for not accepting the advice. When your coach gives you the extra stuff to do that to you seems like a waste of time, do it to the best of your ability. Your coaches know, and they wouldn’t be a coach if they didn’t know how to make you a faster runner. So do that silly warm up the best that you can because there is a runner who wishes that they were able to just warm up with the team one more time. There is a runner who wishes they could do the cool down stretches and roll to save their season.

Savor the next time you are able to run without any pain. Appreciate the beauty of being able to push your body past limits outside in the shining sun. Appreciate it so much that you will stop when your body is telling you to do so. Don’t take healthy legs for granted because once they are injured you can’t go back. Learn to take the easy days easy, and learn to take the rest days off. Don’t race through the pain, and don’t push through it either. Somewhere out there, there is a runner swimming is a dingy pool or riding the stationary bike in a muggy gym trying to overcome an injury while you are out there crushing miles in the most beautiful way possible. If you catch an injury early enough you could save the rest of your season. You have to remember that one day off could save you a mass of running. Learn to listen to your body and don’t take for granted the signs it is giving you. 


Robin Williams once said, “real loss doesn’t happen until you lose something that you love more than yourself.” I know that a lot of runners love running more than themselves. Running is our therapy, it makes us smile, and the best memories of our lives come from this sport. When it’s gone there is a big part of us that is missing, and we feel empty. When we are given the blessing to be able to run everyday it is so easy to forget the small gifts inside the big package. This sport should not have to be taken away to recognize the true beauty and the jubilation that it can bring to a person. So the next time you are able to run just take it all in. Take in that smell of the track with the sound of your shoes scratching the surface. Take in the sound of the gun and the adrenaline that rushes through your body at the start of the race. Take in the laughter that you share with your teammates and the sound of them screaming your name as you sprint down the final stretch of your race. Take it all in, and never take it for granted because there is somebody who wishes they could take it all in just one more time.

- Morgan Hykes (@hykesmorgan)