Recent discussions with friends had me contemplating why some people love running and some people hate it. I always assumed that I loved running because it was easy for me and that others hated it because they found it more difficult. During today's run I took some time to consider why it was that I love running so much. And I can tell you that, of the many of reasons I could come up with, the word 'easy' never made it on that list.
For me, running is about setting goals and feeling good about my accomplishments. It's about doing something on my own and still feeling the camaraderie of fellow runners. It's about working out life's frustrations while working up a sweat. And I'm not ashamed to admit that it's also about feeling good when I look at myself in the mirror. It's about pushing myself on a regular basis to be better and learning to give myself a break when I've earned it. It's about the 'me time' I need to clear my head after a long day and the better quality of life I get to enjoy with my family as a result of being healthier. It's about that horrible, yet wonderful, feeling of sore muscles after a great workout. It's about appreciating the fact that I can do something that not everyone else can do while still being inspired by those who are clearly better than me. It's about wearing bold and obnoxious attire for the benefit of being seen on the road with the added bonus of simply being bold enough to wear such crazy things. It's about learning what my limits are, then working each day to exceed them. It's about feeling strong in mind and spirit. It's about plugging in to my music and unplugging from life for a while. And it's about being true to myself and becoming the person, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend I want to be.
All in all, I guess I love running because I find deeper meaning and greater inspiration in it than others do. I imagine if I simply saw running as a workout, I might not feel nearly as passionate about it. So, while there are certainly days that I don't feel quite so motivated and simply want to complain about my latest ailment or injury, just know that, even when I'm hating it, I still love running.
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