I Run

I did a half-marathon run last week.  Without lying, it was hard, and a few times I felt like giving up, citing everything from my sore feet, to tired legs, to being cold and hot at the same time.  There were lots of reasons to throw in the towel.

But I didn't give up, I finished it. Not in a record time, and certainly not my best time, but I finished it.  I even sprinted for the last kilometer (or as much as I could anyway at that point) because I told myself - "What are you going to do when you're done? - Relax, take it easy and calm down."  What was I going to save any reserves for...I knew myself enough that If I hadn't pushed hard, I wouldn't have felt satisfied with my own race.

Running is a real head-game for many of us, me included. There's rarely a time when I think, gosh I really want to run today - of course it does happen, but often it feels like a chore.  Until you're out there, and every few runs, you get this wonderful feeling of everything working in synch.  You've got speed, no pain and are unstoppable.  You're fluid.  

Again..not every time but enough that I keep doing it.  I'm actually not aware of another activity where on an amateur or personal level you get such a lovely little reward.  Call it runner's high, or the satisfaction of not sitting on the couch eating Dorito's in front of the TV, whatever it is, it's the reason I run.  It's the reason, why I've signed up already for the next half marathon, and it's the reason I'll get my kit on and venture into the cold dark morning today.  I run because I can run.