Running With a Purpose

Some might consider running 2.3 miles to the library and 2.3 miles back to withdraw a DVD on a cold, overcast Sunday afternoon a little excessive. Yes I wanted to watch a movie that night, but in the age of Netflix why undertake such a journey?

Firstly, I enjoy running when I have a purpose, a place to go, something to get or someone to visit. Not only does it save time through multi-tasking (exercising and transportation at the same time) and fixes my destination so that I can’t just turn round when I feel like it, it also never fails to induce imagining a city where people have the time and energy to run everywhere, regardless of distance or practicality. The highways would be full of commuters from the suburbs completing a marathon to get to work every day. A journey to a sandwich shop at lunch would be sprinted. Businessmen would be jogging over to important meetings in running attire, briefcases slung over shoulders…

Ok enough of that. The second reason I ran to the library was that I really wanted to watch The Full Monty, which I had placed on hold. I had seen it once before – about ten years ago when I was certainly too young to fully appreciate it, but I loved it then so I was eager to revisit this classic British film. I also picked up a copy of Robert Stevenson’s legendary book Treasure Island and like the DVD it wasn’t too burdensome to run with.

The conclusion to this utterly pointless story, which is hardly even a story, is that the 4.5 mile run was worth it – I got some fresh air and exercise and The Full Monty was simply brilliant, surely one of my favorite films!

The Full Monty was made all the more enjoyable by the
 fact that I had run 4.5 miles on a cold day to retrieve it.