
Why I Run
Well tomorrow is rest day after long run day and I have to say that it is very much needed. My legs are tired and need recovery before upping my 3-days-in-a-row running plan for this week. I figured today is a good day to add in some recent running thoughts I have been having.
Why do I run? This has been a recent thought of mine. What makes it so appealing to me? And why on earth would I choose to run the distance of 26.2 miles, something that really very few people in the scheme of things want to run. I think for me it’s the chance to be a part of something bigger than myself. To be able to commit myself to a goal and plan that is designed by me and for me, to accomplish something that I deem damn near impossible this early on.
This goal is bigger than many things that commonly stress me out throughout the day. I have my stresses at work, my commute, my daily stressful moments of living that everyone has. There are numerous options available on how to cope with that stress, music, coffee, beer, a good cheesesteak (always a good choice). But none of them provide quite the feeling like heading out on the streets early in the morning before a busy (or not busy) day and just running.
The day to day stress with all of the other factors in my life can feel just like that, day-to-day. The stress may continue through the week sure, but the training for a marathon never ends. It is something that I know, no matter what happens througout my day/week/month, will always be there for me to work on. It is something that is 100% in my control.
- I am the only one who can run the marathon. No one else can run it for me.
- I am the only one who decides whether or not I am running that day, and if I stay true to my training plan.
- I am the only one who has control over my training plan, it was entirely written by me, so if I fail or succeed, I only have myself to look to.
I think the point for me is that so much of the stress I find in life is when things happen to you that you do not have complete control over, and you have to adjust accordingly.
In running, you are in complete control. Whether you want to run 1 mile or 100, the only person stopping you is yourself. And when you cross that finish line, I will know that it will be because I put in the work, the time, and the effort to make it there. It will be one of the biggest moments of my life, I can already tell.
But the work is just getting started, I have a long way to go. It was good to get back to the root of the reason I run. It will only strengthen my resolve while I am miles and miles into a particularly difficult run. To know that this is something that belongs to me, and that it is bigger than any other part of my life. Thankfully, it is something that I can take with me for the rest of my life, in whatever capacity, I will always have it to turn to when life gets stressful. I hope that one day it will take up more of my life than it does now, but until then I will…
Keep running —
