Why Do I Run (Part 2)

8:28PM

Let me start by saying I had to run on the treadmill tonight. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad to have it. It's a nice backup plan and I'd rather run on it than not run at all, but I would so much rather run outside. But I can't. For the first time in a long time, I literally can't run outside b/c there is too much snow. There is a solid sheet of ice on most of the backroads and several inches of snow on top of that. I guess I could try it, but it would be very dangerous and I think I would hurt myself. So I ran 4 tonight on the treadmill. I'm due for my long run tomorrow morning. I really considered doing it anyways. I always like an adventure. I figured I would just allow myself a lot of extra time, go slow, and give it a shot, but now I've reconsidered. I think I'll just do a regular run tomorrow, maybe back on the treadmill and save my long run for Monday morning. I'm banking that we won't have school again Monday and I can do it that morning. Of course the snow may be just as bad. It's not supposed to warm up tomorrow at all. So basically I don't know what's going to happen. I hate to just skip my long run for the week though.

Ok, back to the title of the post. First of all, I appreciate the comments I got for part 1. Let me clear up a couple things. Several of you, my wife included, were concerned about my heel pain. It's really not that bad and it's going away. I am 95% sure that it was b/c my shoes had worn out. The heel in my shoes always goes first and it causes my heel to hurt. It lets me know when I need a new pair. I bought a new pair a little over a week ago and so my heel is now getting better. But my wife did some research on things I can do to help it so I'll look into it. Secondly, I also do know that just b/c I run now, doesn't mean I will have bad knees when I grow up. I guess I played into popular thinking there but I know there's nothing to back it up. I guess I just meant the occasional pains I get, and my knees do ache every once in a while. But I'm glad that there's no proof that my knees will one day be bad b/c of what I do. I just know some people that think that way and some have even told me I shouldn't run as much as I do.

Ok, on to the goods. As I said in the last post, the goods of running far outweigh the bads. So why do I run? Well, there are several reasons. Here they are:

1. I run because it's fun. Hey that rhymed. My wife thinks I'm crazy when I say that it's "fun". She hasn't quite found the fun in it yet and I realize that some never do. But I love it. I enjoy it. I think it's fun to run on the streets. To run places I've never run. To say "yeah, I ran 20 miles before church this morning" and see the looks on people's faces. To run races and try to improve my times. It literally makes me smile a lot.
2. It makes me feel good - in so many ways. This one is going to sound selfish and it is, but I'm proud of myself when I run. I feel good about myself that I went out and ran 3,4, 12, 22 miles whatever it is. It makes me feel good and happy inside. Every once in a while when my music is playing, I get that runner's high and it's literally a euphoric feeling. While I'm being selfish, I like the praise and compliments I get because I run. It just adds to the self-confidence and pride that I have as a runner. I like doing well in races because of the "congratulations" I'll receive later. Is it wrong to feel that way? I hope not because if I'm being honest, I do.
3. I like that running keeps me healthy and fit. Now granted, I still need to work on my eating b/c I'm not great at that, but I'm in pretty good shape. I've brought my weight down from close to 200 to close to 150 and I'm hovering there consistently. I can go out and run 3-4 miles without really getting tired. I like that I can do that now. I like that when I went to my doctor last time, he told me I was doing great. There is heart disease in my genes and I'm glad I run to help with that. I hope I can keep it up well into my late years.
4. I do like to challenge myself. I love coming up with new challenges and accomplishing them. I get excited thinking about new marathons I might do in the future. I like the travel, the people I meet, the crowd cheering, and just the celebrations that each event brings. And I like pushing myself. I don't mind feeling some pain because I know it's going to be such a great feeling afterward. Now that I've accomplished the marathon, it opens the doors to so many options for me and I'm excited about taking some of them on.
5. Finally, I like the people I've met because I run. I have enjoyed so much finding others through blogs, podcasts, Facebook, Twitter, whatever who share my love of running. I get so much support and encouragement through these people most of whom I will never meet. But I'm addicted to talking with them, reading their posts, and sharing stories with them. It keeps me motivated and I need that.

So there are some reasons I run. There are others, but those are what popped into my head. Running is more than just a hobby for me. It's a major part of my life and I'm so glad I found it. So why do I run? To sum up. Because I'm a runner. I'm meant to run. And next to my faith and my family, it brings the most happiness to my life.

So I plan to...

Keep runnin',
Albert