Why I Run

Distance: about 6 miles

Time: 1 hourish

Weather:Sunny 40ish, finally

Some run for the gold...

Some run for fitness...

...We run for Popsicles

This is a quote from the back of my son's cross country shirt. What a great mantra to live by. Everyone who runs has their own reasons to run. It is one of the greatest truths about running. I run for me.

One of my New Year's resolutions is to track my running better. I am not new to running, I have run for five years or more. I am not fast, nor am I slow. I would, however, like to improve. I started running because I was overweight, and not happy with my life. Since I am not very self-motivated, I entered a triathlon and told everyone I talked to that I was competing in it. I am one of those people who has to stick to something when others know about it, so this gave me the strength (although guilt inspired) to keep going everyday. People constantly asked how the training was going. I felt obligated to work as hard as I could because everyone knew I was running the race. For this same reason, to have other people's encouragement, I have decided to blog my training online.

For me, running clears my mind and allows me the time to think (something I don't get a lot of with five children). As I run, I come up with some of my most inspirational and profound ideas. The only problem is, I forget these profound ideas by my next run. So I will blog these as well. I guess now I will know if my ideas are really profound, or if they just seem that way at the time because of oxygen deprivation.

My friends always ask me why I run, or when it gets easier. Today, on a 6 mile run over a large hill with the wind at my back, (I only ran out, not back, because of the wind. My husband picked me up at my destination.) I realized everything in life can be related to running. I think my friends get sick of me relating their troubles to running, but it is so true. Running is a parallel to life. As an individual, I can relate the way I run to the way I live life. As a whole. I can relate life's experiences to the experience of running.

In life, as in running, there are many ups and downs. It is what we do with the ups and downs that determines success or failure. Every run can end differently, each day you have to work. Just because you run great one day does not mean the next day will be easy. Many times a great day is followed by a horrible day, or vice versa. A run can end in one of four ways, so can each day.

1). You can quit. Sometimes we just give up. We have the ability to keep going, but we lack the desire. Other times, we realize that what we have done is all we can do that day, even when we have further to go. I have heard the motto, "never give up". I don't know that this is a realistic goal. I like the message in the Serenity Pray by Reinhold Neiburh,

God grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

courage to change the things I can;

and wisdom to know the difference.

In running, as in life, you need to determine your reason for quitting, fix it if possible, then move on, remembering tomorrow is another day to try again.

2). Although you want to quit, you keep going until the end. This might be the best day any runner, or person can have. This is a great accomplishment. When you run to the end, even when you don't think there is any way you can make it, you become stronger. Stronger in so many ways. Not only do you have more endurance, but more confidence. This can carry over to everything you do. Once you do one thing that seems hard, the next hard thing becomes easier. Tomorrow we have the ability to work harder. We have to work hard again, and do other hard things.

3). You have a good day. You finish strong. You can tell that you had a good workout but you still have energy and feel great. These are the days that you love to have, if only every day were this good. But maybe these days make you a little too content. It is easy to think you are on track, you can let your guard down a little, ease up for a couple days. You have to have good days, or how could you keep going, but in running, as in life, you cannot become content with your progress, but work for your goal each day. Tomorrow is still coming, and today will soon be in the past.

4). You can blow it out of the water. This is one of those rare days were everything goes right. You are on, running hard with little effort. PR day! You seem untouchable and can be truely proud of your accomplishment. It has come because of hard work and perserverance. I have noticed that sometimes my best runs are on a day when I don't feel like running. That day when I wonder why I even run, and I want to sit and mope around the house in my pj's and flip flops, ends up being the day I run my best. Maybe it is because I know I have to work harder or I won't finish. Maybe I don't have expectations, so I allow myself to just run. Whatever it is, I go out and run. Usuallly, within the first half mile, I get to thinking, "My life is good!" And it is. In life as in running, sometimes the things that seem the hardest at first are the most rewarding . And when you really think about it, life is good. There are bad things here and there, but life is good. So celebrate the accomplishment, then gear up for tomorrow.

So, as you see, running is life. Everything you need to know about life you can learn by running. I run for me, to know myself better, to understand why I do the things I do. I run for peace of mind and happiness, for humility and sanity. I run for today, and keep running for tomorrow.