Why I run

I started a "series" of posts awhile back on why I run. I think I only wrote one though so I'm not real sure that qualifies as a series.

Anyway another reason that I run is because I can. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on this post. This is actually my second time writing it. I had Amy read the first one and we decided it probably shouldn't be posted, too much personal information. Don't get me wrong I have no problem letting people know what I think and where I stand. However there was info in it about other people and I don't think it is my place to write about them.

So here is attempt number two. I run because I can. It might sound like kind of an jerk reason or something but it's really not. There are many people out there that aren't able to run, some of them used to, some of them might wish they could and others could careless. Whatever the reason they are out there and we all know too many of them. There are all kinds of reasons maybe they have an illness or decease, or maybe they were injured, or maybe there is some other reason. When I do think about skipping a run or doing it later I think of them. I say to myself, "Self there are people out there that can't run so get off your lazy ass and go run, if you can't do it for yourself then do it for them."

Although not exactly what I'm trying to say I think this quote from Steve Prefontaine is great and can be looked at along the same lines, "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."

Why I Run

There are a lot of different reasons that I run. Every once in awhile I'll post about one of them.

I'm a very laid back person, I just go with the flow. If you graph my emotions throughout a day it would pretty much be a flat line. It's not so much that I hide my emotions as it is that I don't have any to show. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a robot. From time to time I do have emotions and I'm not afraid to show them. When my Grandpa died I cried, when I gave a speech at my wedding I got choked up (some might say I cried). When I found out about that I could go to Ireland with Amy and get school credit for it I was ecstatic. When the trip was postponed a year I was disappointed (I'm not real confident it is ever going to happen, but I am very hopeful). Both times I found out my favorite band, The Doors, were going to play close by I was excited, when both shows were canceled I was disappointed and upset. I rant about things with some regularity but they don't really bother me enough for me to do anything about them. To Amy's dismay it's just that I enjoy ranting.

When I run I feel a lot of different things though. Sometimes I'm excited about an upcoming run, sometimes I dread it. When a race is coming up I get excited and full of anticipation. As I'm running I'll feel pain and have to fight through it. If I do fight through it I feel a certain amount of joy and pride. If I let it get the best of me I get frustrated and/or upset. Of course I have to mention the runner's high that one gets after a race knowing they left it all on the course.

I run so I can feel.

I'm not trying to say the pride of breaking through the wall compares one iota to the joy of finding that special someone and marrying them. Or that the disappointment of giving in when it hurts and walking up that hill or skipping a run is even a fraction of a percent of the pain that comes with losing someone you love. But when I run I do feel something, and that keeps me running.

Why do you run?