Fear and (or maybe of) running

It seems to me that fear plays a big role in running and why some people don’t do it.  Fear of looking like an idiot, fear of being the last one to finish, fear of hurting yourself, fear that you can’t do it, fear that the spandex pants have a big hole in the ass or even worse, that your behind is not capable of sporting spandex at all.  For some, it’s a fear of being alone with your own thoughts and the longer you run, the more alone with your thoughts you are.

My conclusion is that fear should also be a big motivator to run.  Fear of gaining weight, fear that I might not be able to go for a bike ride in a few years or if I do I won’t enjoy it because I might have a heart attack, fear of health problems from lack of activity, fear that I might get too stressed out if I don’t take a little “me” time.  Fear that I won’t have any alone time to sort through my thoughts.

So those of us who are not the fastest or the best, and who fear running to some degree or another, perhaps we should make fear a motivator and use it.  I feel a bit like Yoda from Star Wars telling you to “Use the force” but perhaps he was right.  Make fear a motivator not a paralyzer.

However,  I will still fear icy roads and falling on them.  That is just plain smart.  I have the bruises to prove it too.