Breaking out of the container

50 more days until I hit my 1,000^th consecutive day of running a mile each day.

I don’t know why 1,000 feels like such a big milestone to me.

I think it’s the size of the number. A thousand days seems like a bigger deal than three years does, although I’ll still have over three months to go after I’ve completed my thousandth day before I reach my three year mark.

Anyway, although it hasn’t gone away and I’m still icing it every day after my run, I do feel that my right shin problem is contained for the time being.

What does it actually mean – to contain something?

I guess it’s about putting something right round it so that every surface of it is covered. A problem or issue that isn’t contained means that it’s still unpredictable.

There is something scary, or at least worrying, to us humans about having something that’s not contained. We have no idea what might happen next and we hate uncertainty.

Disaster, catastrophe and devastation could arise out of unpredictable or uncontained. But then again so could spontaneous discovery, breakthrough and transformation.

Life itself can't be contained.

If you’ve ever made detailed plans, I wouldn’t mind betting that life has broken open the container of your plans and thrown in a large spanner from time to time.

If life was completely predictable and we always knew exactly what would happen, I don’t think there would be much room for fun.

While I'm pleased that my right shin problem currently feels contained, there is also a side effect that by containing my right shin problem, a part of me, and indeed the way I am currently running, is also being contained.

One of the things that I love about running is the feeling of total freedom it gives me. When I run I'm out of any container I, or anyone else, has put me in.

Indeed, my favourite runs have been ones where I’ve decided where I’m going to run while I’m actually running.

There is a pure joy in making it up as you go along, a feeling of being completely uncontained.

I’m looking forward to my 1,000^th day of running in 50 days time (hopefully) and to running and living fully uncontained again soon.

Where are you allowing yourself to be contained, and what would it be like to break free of that container?