“I don’t love to run” I recently declared when I was being interviewed for a radio program as part of the Runner Makeover. That probably wasn’t the declaration that iRun was looking for when it chose me. But upon reflection, it is actually true and its actually kinda not true (there is an election on so perhaps I have been listening to too much spin talk). What is important to understand is that I really love some things about running. They are:
1. The feeling I get when I run first thing in the morning – I feel alive, awake and that I started my day out right. I am a natural morning person, and the feeling of seeing the world while it is often fresh and uncluttered I am infused with the optimism of a new day makes me really happy. Now, its also true that when I am warm and toasty under the quilts I am not so in love with morning running, but I always am happy when I get back from it.
2. It is my refection time – Part of my personality is that I rarely stop and I do thinks quickly(thus all the typos in my blogs). Its a strength but also a weakness, as a little reflection time helps to process information, develop new ideas or just let my mind rest. During a run, I don’t get distracted by TV, the phone, the annoyances of the dishes not being done, my job, my family etc and the other things I really want to think about come to the fore.
3. The ease of it – Almost all other activities involve gear, me driving somewhere or a team. Running I can do on the spur of the moment, and really the only thing I need is a sports bra and my sneakers (and really the sneakers are more optional then the sports bra).
4. Getting to know a place – There is nothing like running to get to know a place. As I have mentioned before, I just started a new job. By running in this area, I am getting to know the area better. Today someone asked me where I ran, and I told them I ran on the great trail system located just up the road (which I found a few weeks ago). They had been working there for years and did not know about it. I love running when I am on vacation or in a new place.
5. Soccer – I run so that I can do things I really love, like playing soccer with my team, the Mud Creek Grillers. I like competition, I like the feeling on our team, I like the women, I like that some of them are younger then me and are juggling young children and still making the games, I like that some of them are older than me and still are amazing players and athletes who want to win, I like the sportmanship that we practice as it helps us all create a more civil society. I just really like playing soccer and I want to do it for a long time and I want to get better, so I run so I can continue to play soccer. I love the heart of my team . As an example, when one of them serious hurt her anke last night (maybe broke it) she was really upset that the other team scored as a result and that she was going to be sidelined for a while. My team has moxy and it inspires me.
So when someone asks if you love running, realize that you may not love the act of running, but appreciate the side effects and the fringe benefits
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