“I always loved running…it was something that you do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, as fast or slow as you wanted, fighting if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs.” – Jesse Owens |
I didn’t always love running. Running was punishment in soccer practice. I did it because I had to, not because I wanted to. I would count down the minutes until it was over and curse my soccer coach under my breathe for making us run Chelsea after Chelsea (if you do not know what these are, be thankful). I ran during the off-season of crew and soccer to stay in shape, not because I wanted to. But then one day I stopped organized sports and I got bored. So I ran.
Running isn’t an easy thing to “get into”. But if you start off nice and easy and take it slow, one day you will get over that “hump” and running will be become something you do because you enjoy it, not something you do because you have to do it. Don’t get me wrong…there are still days that I go out there against my will and hate every last second of it. There are still days I struggle to run. But when all is said and done…I love running.
Why do I love to run?
- Running helps me find my inner strength. This past November I ran in the Philadelphia Marathon with my two older sisters (photo above). At the very end of the race I was tired and ready to cross the finish line and be done with the race. But then I thought about my Aunt who was in a nearby hospital in Philly losing her battle to Breast Cancer. She was dealing with so much emotional and physical pain- much more pain than I could even fathom. She had much more strength and perserverance than I will ever have. I told myself right then and there that I was going to finish this thing out strong; I was going to do it for her. I turned to Mary (who was obviously a bit tired as well) and told her to do it for our Aunt Ginny. Without another word being said we both kickedit into full gear and sprinted passed my Mom and Dad screaming for us at the finishline. Tears filled up in my eyes when we picked up our pace and finished out the last mile like we had all the energy in the world. I didn’t look over at my sister to see if she was crying, too….I knew she was (right, Mary? haha)
- Running feels good. There is not a run that I “regret” going on. Now matter how sad, happy, angry, tired, emotional, etc I am, running helps. I have never returned home from a run in a worse mood than when I left for my run. Running also keeps you shape and feeling good!
- When I run, I can just be “me”. When I am running alone, there is no one there to judge me. I can let everything go, and just be me. I have this short portion of my day that I can devote solely to myself and only myself. I can go whatever pace I want…as slow or as fast as my heart desires. I can run anywhere I want
and do anything I want (Kind of like the quote by Jesse Owens above). For that small amount of time I am truly alone and can truly be myself and connect with myself in ways I normally do not. - Running helps me realize that I am good enough. How many times have we all felt that we are not good enough to do something, to be something, to have something, etc.? Many. But when I tackle new hurdles in running (whether it is a race PR or a distance PR or if I just had a great run), I feel like I am good enough to do whatever I put my heart into.
- I love to run because I am able to. Two years ago I had a stress fracture in my tibia and now I am dealing with this knee problem right before the Boston Marathon. It’s during this times that I realize how lucky I am to have the ability to run. Not everyone is blessed with this ability. I realize how lucky I am whenver I am “out of the game” due to an injury. It is truly a blessing that I can run and I will never take this for granted.
- I love to run because of the awesome people I have met. I cannot even begin to tell you how many amazing people I have met through running. I had the chance to be a part of the Baltimore chapter of Back On My Feet. I met a lot of cool people through RunnersWorld (cyber plus real life haha…lindsey and steph!). I have met a lot of people through the blogging community. I have met runners in Baltimore and Philly. Even the runners who are complete strangers to me are part of the “community”. I always wave, nod my head, or smile when I pass by another runner, regardless of whether i know them or not. They do the same. and It just makes you feel good inside! haha When you have a friend who is a runner there is just that connection with each other that is amazing. My friend Anna is training for Boston too. I cannot wait to share the experience of running our first Boston Marathon (and her FIRST marathon!) together
- I love to run because its fun! No explantation needed!
Question: why do you love to run? If you don’t like to run…what do you love to do and why?
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
woot. sweet blog post. i love that pic of the three of you doing the arm up pose-whatever that means
You are so right, I hated running when I was younger because I HAD to do it…once I got to college and started to try it because I wanted to a whole new world opened up for me!
I’m doing philly this fall and am very excited!
RUN FORREST RUN!!!
I used to hate running in high school as well…I played field hockey so I remember those torturous drills all too well. But I agree that it is now therapeutic and so much fun. So awesome that you completed a marathon!
nice post! i feel ya on appreciating running so much more when you can’t run…i actually have a comment to tell you about that next time we meet up…i’ll look an a$$ if i write it here hahahaha
hahaha okay!
I love this post! I can relate to every single thing you said. I run because it makes me feel strong mentally and physically, it helps me when I’m stressed out, and is fun! I’ve made so many new friends and learned so much from running and I can’t imagine my life without it anymore.
haha who’s the dude in the second picture? seriously, though, you guys take great race pics. I always look constipated in mine. lol. Great post though and I share your love of the sport! Thanks for sharing.