Today’s run: 6.3 miles, 1:10. YT: 6.3 miles. Ran on the beach as far as the power plant at El Segundo. Sluggish at first but finished strong. Saw Kooky Groovy Lady, a leathery late 60s broad who moves down the path, headphones on, like she’s grooving at Woodstock. But awkwardly. She must “groove” every day, year round, because I think I’ve seen her every time I run there.

The more I read at DailyMile and elsewhere, the more I realize that in the big, bad world of running, 1000 miles ain’t nothin’ special. I’m feeling a perspective shift as I start to inhabit a world where people run a sub 4:00 marathon a month.

In any endeavor – athletic, creative, or otherwise – there’s always going to be someone doing it arguably bigger and better than you. And if you’re like me as a judge, you reactively give yourself a handicap. That’s why it’s important to stay focused in exploring your experience, without judgment.  If nothing else, it’s unique to the world, and that’s something.

So: Keep doing. The doing is playful, animating, reaffirming. In passivity, we risk analyzing our best impulses to death.