I was planning my 24k long run the other day.  The limited time made me consider running the 3 hours in my village’s 600 meter loop.   I’ve done 2.5 hours before and I really don’t have problems running loops –it’s got it’s own challenging vibe when you have to find your freedom doing the same thing over and over again, alone.

I told a friend of my crazy idea and related it to a story I heard about a prisoner who discovered the joys of running inside his prison cell. He’d take 3 steps from one wall to the next and keep doing it for hours. Then she told me that another friend did a run in an airport because they were stuck there for 4 days trying to get to the New York Marathon.

Runners do crazy things.  But there is logic to the lunacy. We run in circles if we have to because the effect on our bodies is the same — 2 hours running loops is the same as 2 hours running on open road.  And we understand that it’s not only what our bodies do, but where our spirits go that sets us free when we run.