I spent part of my Sunday afternoon yesterday jogging down a country dirt road, past rickety old barns and farmhouses, an skeleton of what was once long ago a church building where my elderly neighbor was baptized, and plenty of lethargic country cows who eyed me suspiciously as I went by. It was great, for several reasons. Number one, I love running. The idea of going somewhere,as fast as you can, without any aid- not from a car or a bike or a skateboard or anything- that really appeals to me. Number two, I love rediscovering  roads around my area by running them. It's amazing how you can go for a run down a road that you've driven down a million times, and still notice things that you have never noticed before. Number three, I love the feeling that I get when I've really pushed myself, the pain is getting pretty hard to ignore, and I keep going. Not that I enjoy the pain in itself- no one really does. Instead, I enjoy knowing that with every time I push past the pain, I am making myself a stronger person-both mentally and physically. Not that I always succeed with this- there are days when I just can't get myself to push through. And there are other days when I don't feel like running at all. But there are also days when I do succeed, and those are the ones that mean the most. As John Wooden said, success is peace of mind that comes from knowing that you gave your best effort. So I can know that when I give push through the pain, I am creating success for myself. That's why those hard runs are so rewarding. They give me peace of mind, because I know I gave my best.