Sometimes it’s nice to step back and remind ourselves of why we run. The below passage is a personal account of why one runner continues to put in mile after mile each week. Running is clearly a core part of this person’s life and it’s inspiring to see other runners share the same sentiment.
One of the things that I love about running is that I can do it alone. Don’t get me wrong, I am a social person and enjoy the company of others. But it’s during a few hours of solitude every couple of days that I get to do some deep thinking, character building, gut checking, and dreaming.
To me, a lonesome runner is akin to a reclusive poet escaping to the mountains to write a masterpiece. J.D. Salinger didn’t dream up Holden Caulfield in the local cafe and you won’t find Harper Lee hanging out at the nearby Starbucks. Their finest work was done in peace and quiet. Runners, like poets, compose their best work in the hours spent alone in deep thought and self reflection.
I think about a lot of things while I’m running. I think the most about the events in my life and how they have shaped me. I think about my mother and how it’s been nearly 17 years since she passed away. I remember her struggles and how she fought. I remember those events teaching me how to be a fighter. I think about living a good life in her honor.
I think about my grandparents and the harsh life they had to lead. 50 years of back breaking labor to build the family farm. And I think about how they worked so hard but never had enough time to relax and enjoy their accomplishments. I remind myself to achieve a lot, but never work so hard that I can’t walk away from what I’m doing for fear of feeling like I’ve failed.
I also think a lot about my health and extending my quality of life as long as possible. One of my favorite parts of running a race is seeing the 70 and 80 year old men and women running healthy and happy all the way to the finish line. I imagine being like them someday and inspiring others around me without saying a single word, just like they have inspired me.
Running also teaches me to endure. I remember the first time I ran so far my legs stopped working. Suddenly, being “tired” didn’t mean shit. The perspective shift is dramatic once you reach that point of exhaustion. What used to be a struggle becomes a routine and you realize that these lessons in endurance become core to all aspects of your life.
Running has been a gift. It’s taught me to appreciate my time alone and to use it to think about the things in life that are valuable to me. I’ll continue running until my body no longer lets me and along the way I’ll be working on my masterpiece.
Do you have your own running manifesto? Contact us if you would like MadeToRun to share your own answer to the question “why do I run?”
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Thank you for facilitating a
discussion on this topic. I started running out of desparation. I keep running because of
faith. My first blog, “Why I Like Running” and last Blog”Running from Depression”
are rather personal accounts of my running.
Running is necessary for health, makes you stronger
I run to get out, to get away, to destress and zone out for awhile.
Just created two new shirts for runners about “Why I Run” too:
http://shirts4runners.com/shirts/why-i-run/
http://shirts4runners.com/shirts/why-i-run-2/