10 reasons I love running
-There are precious few things that I have accomplished in my life that haven’t involved at least a small amount of bullshitting. Running is an exception. There is nobody to fake it to in running. I can’t get by with a smile or persuasive speech. I either put in the work or I don’t, and nobody really cares - except, perhaps, for me.
-Running, unlike most other beneficial things in life, is not a zero-sum game. There exists an unlimited supply of miles just waiting to be run. Miles that I run today do not take away from miles that you can run tomorrow, just as they do not diminish the number of miles my great-great grandchildren can run one hundred years from now. The benefits of running have the possibility to be infinite and enjoyed by all. With the exception of love, art, philosophy, and some other sports, the same cannot be said of anything.
-Having one bad run doesn’t mean much - or anything, really - in the bigger picture of training. What matters is consistency and perseverance. Running has taught me not to dwell on the failures that are inevitable in life, but to instead continue to work hard and push toward the future.
-In a car, I can only go where cars are allowed to go. On a run, everything is within my domain. I can discover and see the most amazing and unique places. I can experience a broad array of geography and imagery. I have free will to go anywhere and to do anything.
-I am not religious. But running gives me a purpose in an otherwise meaningless life. Just as a Christian is convinced that his purpose at any given time is to praise and glorify the Lord, I sometimes believe that my purpose is to get in the best shape possible for my peak race. This may strike you as 1) an unhealthy obsession or 2) a belief in a non-truth, but listen: for me, the other alternative is to feel purposeless and probably depressed. Furthermore, in response to 1) I say: “What is so unhealthy about it anyway? It feels good, makes me happy, and doesn’t harm anyone or anything. Seems fine to me.” To 2) I say: “Truth on this matter is subjective. There is thus far no factually proven purpose of life, so my belief is as valid as yours. Trying to run my best is pretty damn fulfilling to me.”
-The best way to get to know me is to run a few hundred miles with me. Running exposes my true self. It puts me in a state of slight physical discomfort but also in a state of mental and emotional peace. This mixture is the perfect way to bring out the real person underneath my oftentimes false exterior. Similarly, I believe that running hundreds of miles with my friends allows me to get to know them better than I ever otherwise would.
-In the “real world,” justice is an entirely indefinable concept. Determination of and application of the law of man is imprecise, unclear, and always controversial. The law of running, on the other hand, is unchanging and universal, similar to the law of nature. It applies retribution and reward in a dependable and exact manner. There can be nothing more fair.
-In the “real world” there is always more work that I could do at any given time. It is therefore very difficult for me to feel satisfied. However, as long as I get my miles in for the day it reminds me that everything is going to be alright. No matter what else happens.
-For millions of years, my ancestors have had to work all day long just to survive. Now, even though I am often very busy, I have plenty of free time relative to my grandfathers of 10,000 years ago. This can be a great luxury, but it can also be a negative thing. It seems that over time, natural selection has conditioned me to need to do lots of work. Something feels “off” in me when I am not achieving something or being productive. Running never fails to scratch this itch for me.
-I like being able to eat an outrageous amount of food without gaining weight.
How bout you?
