They might aptly title my recent revelation "The Laziness of the Long Distance Runner." I have finally given in to the truth that I am a couch potato hiding within a runner's body, an indolent person who does intervals, a laggard who does long distance. I am a runner and I am lazy. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it is accurate. To borrow from the philosopher Descartes, "I run, therefore I sit." I suppose this puts me into quite a small and select group of runners. I am one of the few, the not terribly proud, the slothful.

I have tried to deny the depth of my languor for as long as I have been a runner. I know all the many positive effects that running can bring - better health, more self-confidence, enjoyment of the outdoors etc. I had initially honed into the philosophy I ran so I would have this incredible reservoir of energy throughout the day. However, as I sat glued to my comfortable chair after a Sunday morning twenty miler, there came a point in which it did no good to deny the obvious. Once the euphoria and adrenaline rush of a good run was over, I returned to my roots of habitual idleness. I could compete with the best the non-runners could offer in the area of inactivity. However, in my mind, it was clearly better to have run and loafed, than to have loafed and never run at all.

I have convinced myself that the best method of recovery after a run is to remain immobile for as long as humanly possible. Inactivity before and after a run is the key to my enjoyment of running. Everyone has their particular area of specialty and I believe I have brought post run inertia to new heights of expertise. The 1970's brought us the training benefits of LSD (Long Slow Distance) while I bring the 1990's PPR (Prolonged Prone Recovery).

I have further convinced myself one reason for my laziness is that it is a sacrifice I must make for the benefit of my running. My training log accumulates only miles. It has no space for how much time I was on my feet cleaning out the garage, not how long I played basketball Saturday afternoon, not how much walking I did at the mall, not how often I used the stairs instead of the elevator.

My philosophy is if I am going to break my 1OK PR in the future, I have to be sedentary as much as I can during my non running time. I must look for every possible edge I can get. If that means buying a ranch house so I can avoid the toll on my legs of walking up and down stairs a couple of times a day, then so be it. I may not have the most natural speed or endurance as my running competitors, but I have the ability to put my post running time to the greatest benefit. I can make the most of any opportunity for inaction.

They say the lazy always want to do something. Well, I am not one of them. Once my run is complete, I have already done it. Running provides me the opportunity to enjoy my idleness without guilt. If I did not run then I would be embarrassed to loaf as I do. However, since I run, I show no remorse for my fits of lethargy. I have, without any remorse, divided my day into two periods - running and dormancy.

Now, as I lay supine on the family room floor - a little too indolent even to contemplate mowing the lawn - I know that I am in much different company than the couch potatoes of America.I am a runner first, lazy second. For me, these are not mutually exclusive terms. Without one, I could not enjoy the other. Before my friends and neighbors pass judgement on me, I always say, run ten miles in my shoes. Meanwhile, could you please pass me the remote?