When you don't run for 3 months straight, you begin to ponder why you were even running in the first place. Strange thoughts would creep into my head while I drove home from a tough day at work, "Do I even miss running at all?"
At first the knee pain was so great that running was a horrible experience. And honestly I did not miss running. But once the pain faded and I still didn't have this urge to get out on the road, I wondered why didn't I miss running? It had been my favorite source of fitness for almost 5+ years, so what went wrong?
Slowly I began to remember why I love to run. It started when I came across this post by Amy and it really hit home with me. I hadn't had the same experience as her, but I understood.
A week or so later I came across this video with Kara Goucher on The Laminators Blog and it reminded me of why I love to run.
Then I saw this article on Runners World about staying in decent shape all year round. After reading it, I knew that is what I wanted to do. I wanted to just run - run for fun and enjoy every minute of it but be able to race if I felt like it.
And I know that many of you already do this but this whole summer and fall has been a transition for me. I always was preparing for some race or season and now my life is wide open with no deadlines.
So I think that the reason I love to run is because of the way I feel while running - its not totally about the racing or competition. Its about getting up when everyone is asleep and being out on the roads alone with my thoughts. Its about finding new routes and exploring new places.
I want to have fun when I run and so I am not sure that I will be following a training schedule anytime soon. When I trained for basketball in college I would just run each morning and decide the distance and pace depending on how my body felt. I would listen to my heart and just know what would be good for that day.
So....why do you run?
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Switching gears now - it is Wednesday and I have been slacking on my Literary Wednesday! I was able to get to the Library on Saturday for some new books! I got caught in the 'C' area of the fiction section and grabbed four books.
Snow Angel by Jamie Carrie
The Chocolate Snowman Murders by Joanna Carl
Sarah by Orson Scott Card
The Various Flavors of Coffee by Anthony Capella
I have only started the first one so far but I thought it was fun to get books all by authors with last names starting with 'C'. I totally judge books by their covers and titles so hopefully these ones will turn out to be good!
Happy Wednesday!!
17 comments:
can't wait to hear what you think of the books!!
i run because it completes me. i am proud of myself so often because of running and that is really a priceless feeling.
i just read this book-- REALLY good--
Day After Night by Anita Diamant
It took me a while to get back into running after my marathon in may, even though I was still running I just wasn't into it! But I'm with you. I love to run because it makes me feel great. I don't run to compete or get faster, I run for fun :D
I run for the same reasons - I love how calm and free it makes me feel! And I love that it can be social or solitary.
However, I thrive on a PLAN! LOL! I hope I can be more free about it someday.
Running and I have had an on and off relationship over the years but I keep coming back for more ;) I love how I feel after a run - centered and focused. I need it not only for my waistline but my sanity.
Looking forward to seeing your reviews on the books!
Great post!
Amanda's post led me to some reflection of my own. Sometimes it easy to get caught up in races and blogging and whatever else and forget about the pure love of running. I'm trying to embrace that right now myself, and incorporating other activites actually makes me appreciate running even more.
Hope you enjoy the books!
HAPPY RUNNING!
ive been struggling with running since chicago but i try to keep on moving. i think i'm mostly just burnt out and need a break. nothing else sounds appealing though either so i guess i'll stick to it.
i run so i can eat what i want, stay sane, not be cranky & to be at 'peace'. i notice if i dont run for a while i get a bit crazy lol
For me, it's the feeling I have WHILE I'm running but mostly the feeling I have after.
I did an easy 5-miler this morning at 6:30 (4 hours ago) and I'm STILL feeling amazing from it. Now that I run, no other workout can satisfy me.
I run because I can and as cheesy as it sounds it completes me.
OK I LOVE LOVE your ideas for Christmas.. Do you want to co-host it? Or host it yourself and I will promote it on my Blog?? Let me know because I would love it.
I am already planning on doing a holiday card to people on my mailing list...but I like your idea way better
It is crazy how easy it is to loose sight of how fun running can be. Thanks for the thoughts.
There's just this overall feeling I get from running that I don't get from any other sort of exercise. It's wonderful!
I run for so many reasons - main ones are the health benefits and the me time to think through stuff! Also, I feel so powerful when I am training for a race. Sometimes I am out driving and I will drive along my running path and then I stop and think - holy crap, I run really far sometimes! Like 13 miles doesn't actually seem that far when I am running it because I am taking it a step at a time, but when i Stop and think about how far I go, it's kind of amazing what my body can do! And it's the sense of wonder at my body's abilities that keeps me running!
I tried - but really can't pinpoint "one" reason I run anymore. It used to be just to stay in shape, maintain a healthy weight. But, it's definitely transformed into something that's just part of me. It's social, it's a sense of a accomplishment, it's therapeutic (when you want it to be), and it's an outlet for a Lot of energy that builds up sitting at a desk all day! :)
I'm glad your knee is healing so you can get back into running the way that YOU want to!
"I run becuase I eat." There. Mystery solved.
I just have the mondo huge headlamp because I do quite a bit of running where there are no streetlights. So, I figure the more light the better. The important thing is that your headlamp gives enough light so you can see where you are stepping. Last thing I would want to do is trip on something I didn't see. Remember from your engineering classes - p=mv. We're talking BIG m here.....
I'm going through a similar thing -- just scrapping the training plans for now and getting back to running just to run. I can't tell you how much I am loving it! It's a great feeling. Keep listening to your body and enjoy the run!
Running is my escape...
Great post girl!
Cool blog. Running is like a drug for me...I love endorphins.:)
I run for a lot of the same reasons that you do. I often begrudgingly get out of bed on those Saturday morning long runs, but it feels so great to come home just a everyone else is dragging themselves out of bed a know I've just put in 15-20 miles.
On the other hand, the competition really keeps me going. Having something to train for forces me to run when "life" might otherwise get in the way.
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