Labels.

Humid air is the dim morning.  My treads navigate the sidewalk stones down the tree lined street of my neighborhood, swishy sorts and bare arms.  I round the corner to begin running along my harbor, my home, look up and see a blood-red sunrise - it stretches for horizontal miles, all radiating layer upon monochromatic, red layer from the giant king-orb in the center. 

Red sky in the morning, sailor's take warning.
Red sky at night, sailor's delight.

I couldn't help but to wonder, what exactly is the warning?  It was far too stunning a sunrise to label anything amiss.

Running along I listened to the morning muse of the harbor lull me into a pace: boat creaking, gulls cackling, beach maintenance cleaning litter, airplanes departing overhead, waves rippling and cresting, fisherman small talk. 

Rounding the far edge of the harbor, the part where I move onto the causeway and am forced to look back upon my city, my home, my loved and hated den, I notice the sky.  The sky behind the buildings is deep purple-black and flashes with lightning rods and flickers, rubbing it's eyes, not wanting to leave the bed.  Before long, the storm moves through and chases the sunrise and all fades to black.  I am drenched in my own sweat and giant teardrops from the heavens above.  Lightning flashes and crashes and thunder rumbles and cracks, winds picking up but I continue to run on, run hard, run through it.  And then suddenly the morning maelstrom is gone, just as quickly as it arrived and all that is left is light blue sky and small peeks of sunshine. 

...

Labels are a dangerous thing, I think.  Once I allow myself to become labeled is when my own lightning comes crashing down around me.  I think I prefer the freedom and flexibility of not being labeled.  Maybe this is why I'm struggling with the Ironman - it's a label I'm not so sure I really want?  An identity, I think I'm working on still finding as an athlete, but labeled, I prefer to remain crazy and questionable.  It's when I run my best; wild, free, not a particular type of distance or race preference, but just run.