if a = b and b=c then a=c

It's my favorite time of year again...time for vacation. Polly's family has been going to Thousand Islands on the Saint Lawrence River in upstate New York for many years. Polly and I have gone up there numerous times since we've been a couple, but last year was the first year we went up for the full week together. We shut off our phones and computers and just relaxed. We enjoyed the relaxation so much that we decided to do it again this year. This year marks a special family vacation, however, in that it will be our baby's first. This is our chance to set a precedence of setting aside vacation time as a family.

Last year when we went up, Polly and I decided to camp for a few days on Wellesley Island before we joined her family. Minus the ridiculous amount of spiders crawling on everything (literally thousands), it was an awesome time. Last year's vacation fell in the middle of marathon training so I didn't really have a choice but to run. I bought a hydration pack because of the trip. They were out of CamelBak's at the EMS I went to so I had to settle for a different brand. It was okay, but I exchanged it for the CamelBak upon my return from vacation. Wellesley Island was just over 8 miles of roads going across, so I had to run an out and back (total of 16 miles) while camping. I was committed, but I didn't have a choice...I needed to train, so I did.

So, how about this year? I'm not currently in the midst of marathon training (my next marathon is not until next May), just working toward getting in solid shape for when I do start. I can afford a week without running, right? Absolutely. There's no question that my body won't lose anything consequential physically if I opt not to run at all. But as you know if you read my post "searching for middle ground" from the other day, there's no way I could handle it mentally. I would feel like such a slouch if I took a whole week off from running. Good or bad, this is simply the reality.

I want to take a quick look at whether or not this reality is a good or bad thing. Is it bad that I wouldn't allow myself a break from running while I'm on vacation even if it's not critical? The answer: I don't think so. There are two major reasons that I'm completely okay with feeling this way:

1. Lifestyle - I mentioned in that post "searching for middle ground" that I am either all in or all out. If I take a break this coming week what's to keep me from taking a break the following week too. The same people who think it's okay to take a break from exercise during vacation are the same people who think it's okay to eat whatever you want while on vacation. The biggest problem with each of these mindsets is that you don't actually get to pause life and reality while on vacation. What you do on vacation will affect you once vacation is over. Being healthy and running is a lifestyle to me. As long as I'm living, these things need to be an active part of my life.

2. Relaxation - The biggest purpose of vacations (for me) is rest and relaxation. Vacation gives me an opportunity to unwind and decompress. The reality for me (though I realize this is not true for everyone) is that running is one of the main ways I relax, unwind and decompress. I think this is the reason I actually love running so much. Running is neither work nor a chore to me; it's a treat that I look forward to. I love either praying or just letting my mind fly freely in thought (about so many different things) while running. I also love the feeling of satisfaction when I've completed a good run. Physiologically, our body is releasing endorphins when we run, so that feeling of satisfaction is real and has purpose. Not to mention that I feel joy when I know that I have used an ability God has given me and let it glorify Him (I think Ryan Hall would agree with this, so I'll throw in a quick plug for his book "Running with Joy"). This is why I talk about running in His strength and for His glory. I want to glorify God in all I do.

Focusing on point 2 above a little more, I think there's a deeper truth here as alluded to in my subject. The transitive relation of equality teaches that if a=b and b=c then a=c. Follow this logic with me for a moment as I give values to a, b and c.

a=running
b=relaxing
c=vacation

With this values input into the equation, it would read this way:

If running = relaxing and relaxing = vacation then running = vacation.

The more I think about it the more I realize that this equation proves true for me. Every time I run it's like I'm on a mini vacation. Running really is that relaxing and enjoyable to me. Anyone else feel this way?

Anyway, since I will be on a week-long vacation starting tomorrow, it's worth noting that I will likely not be on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or Blogger during that time. I'll talk to you all in a week!