Why I Love To Run

I am relatively new to running, having started about three and a half years ago. I had several reasons for starting, but most of them had nothing to do with losing weight or getting in shape...those things just happened. It was one of the best decisions I have made.

I love the clean simplicity of putting one foot in front of another to get to feel the success of what one runner calls “relentless forward progress”. I do not need special clothes. I do not need expensive shoes. I do not need shoes at all. I do not need to take a class. I do not need to subject myself to expert opinions. I do not need anyone to help me. I can just go outside and run. It is free. And it is freeing. I do, however, have the special clothes and the expensive shoes and I listen to runners who are better, faster and stronger than me. These things enhance my enjoyment, but to simply run, I do not need them. The act of the run is uncomplicated, unadorned and raw.

I love the melding of the physical with the mental… the body with the brain… the physiology with the psychology. If you run, you cannot escape this symbiosis. I wonder at the days when my brain is tired and disjointed, but my legs are strong and energetic and they carry me down the miles until my brain finds its quietude. I value the days where my body is tired and pained, but my mind and my will accept no excuses and I run and I run and I run… far beyond what I wanted to believe was possible.
I love that running is its own reward. You can run for time. You can run for speed. You can run for distance. You can run for medals, ribbons, t-shirts, causes and accolades. But at the heart of it, you run because you love the simple satisfaction of the run. My first 5k was in my neighborhood with friends and family and I struggled to not finish last. My first marathon was on the trails, by myself, just to see if I could do it. My first ultra was a grueling gauntlet of muddy trails, unexpected heat, cramps and dehydration and where a young girl sailed past me at the finish, completing her 50 miles before I finished my 50k. All three experiences are special to me… but all three left me with the same sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, despite the pain, the challenges and disappointments. It was the run.

I know it is not for everyone. But for me, it puts me in my “zen”. I like who I am when I am running. It is the most pacifying yet visceral thing that I do. I am 56…I am not a studly athlete…I am not graceful…I am not smooth…I am not fast…but somehow, some way, I can run. And that simple act has helped make me better.

I like running alone. Outside. If I could, I would make every run a long solo run on the trails…I can go hours and never see anyone. It’s just me spending valuable, productive, healthy time with myself. But I also love my early morning winter runs in the cold and in the dark with the wind and snow tearing at me defying me to keep going. Both runs let me find places within myself that become quiet testing grounds to find out what kind of man I am… or can be.

This is why I always want to talk about running… I like finding people who experience what I experience… or maybe finding someone new who is looking for this kind of challenge and inner peace…

I guess I should stop, because it ended up being longer than I expected…maybe I should have gone for run before I wrote it…