Why I Run

I've been pretty bad at this, haven't I? Well instead of rambling off what I've done to prepare for my next marathon - I'm going to share something a little more personal. Why I run.

Running isn’t something I am forced to do each day. There are reasons behind my madness, behind my passion. It’s like that quote that talks about how the road won’t miss you if you don’t run. Basically, it’s your decision and every runner has a different drive behind his or her step.

I have a few. The more obvious reasons are to stay fit, to be able to eat more of what I want and for the competition. Constantly challenging myself is an exhilarating test each time I go out for a run, and it's even more heightened when I line up for a race. But there are other reasons ... ones that have become clearer with each year and more experiences.

My sister and I were talking the other day about running and why we do it. The short of it - it’s therapeutic and it's a place to go where you are completely alone with your thoughts. There’s no better place to think with an uncluttered mind than on the pavement. In the last six years of my life I have lost five very close family members and running has been what I've turned to so I can sort out my thoughts, cope with my heartbreak and ask God the questions I don't seem to understand. It's not always that deep of course - sometimes I run to get away from it all. I can leave reality for a little bit and then come back refreshed.

Even more, I can deal with whatever anxieties or stresses I've taken on that day or whenever. Anxiety often times clouds up my chance for sanity in a particular moment, and to experience the openness of the road is the best escape. I don't always turn to running when I'm dealing with something negative though - a majority of my runs are because I just like the feeling. I love passing other runners who share a similar joy, I love seeing different parts of a city that I never would have seen any other way and I love pushing myself to a limit that I didn't seem imaginable before that day.

So when asked why I run - well I guess I have a few reasons. People handle the cards that was dealt to them differently. Sometimes running is a cure, sometimes it can be a celebration or it can just be something I want to do that day. But it is definitely a part of my life in a big way.