The benefits and opportunities of running are available to anyone. You don't have to be born a natural athlete, and you don't have to be uniquely gifted. A life-shaping experience is there for the taking, waiting right outside your door.

In western society, many of us seem to lose our youthful enthusiasm and simple delights as we grow up. Thankfully, running provides an opportunity to experience those emotions
anytime we like. The trick is learning not to dwell on the superficial things that we think will help us run better or faster. I like to remind myself that Abebe Bikila trained without a watch, did long runs without drinking Gatorade, and won the Olympic marathon without shoes. 

I'm not advocating that we all start running barefoot, but we should rediscover such simple gifts in other ways. Leave your watch at home sometimes before you run.

Savor the child-like joy of moving across the earth under your own power. Run barefoot in the grass. Stop and look at the view at the top of a hill, or gaze at the water in the stream you are crossing.

Seek out your own valley of love and delight. Be thankful for your ability to run, and take pleasure in the fact that you are able to do it. Enjoy every mile of the journey, because we never know when we may be in the homestretch.

Really, these should be the easy things to do.