Why Run?

I can appreciate that plenty of folk can't quite comprehend the joy of running.
That they can't understand how 'joy' and 'running' could even logically be in the same sentence.
That's fair enough - I have zero inclination to EVER don cricket whites and I pray that Magoo follows suit!

For me, to run is to be alive.
Really alive - not just going through the motions.
To be able to run feels like a precious gift - not to be wasted.






I have moments when my running seems selfish - despite the fact I get up in the dark to be done and dusted before our family's day really begins.

I'm well aware that training for my marathon was  a huge commitment on my part - and involved a bit of sacrifice on my family's part.
But again (cause I need to justify) I trained alone, early and as efficiently as possible to minimise the impact on my gorgeous little unit.
I know it is not going to be repeated anytime in the near future and I appreciate how lucky I am to have had this opportunity at this point in my life.


Marathon aside, I run because it's part of who I am.
It makes me a better person, wife, mother, friend, teacher, colleague, customer, driver, stranger in the queue...
It's an outlet and an inspiration.


I am not running away from anything - most certainly not my family.
I am running home to them - to share with them the energy and motivation I found in here <3, while out there pounding the pavement.


When I run, I organise my thoughts, channel frustration and drink in those fabulous endorphins. Sometimes I just blast my ipod and escape in the tunes for a while - until my head starts babbling again.


I love when Magoo greets me in his pyjamas with my water bottle or sits over breakfast with the cutest "how's your run today, Mum?", "what track you go?".
I don't see how having an active Mum (and Dad) as a role model can be all that bad.
I would hope we're instilling some positive attitudes that will hopefully be a part of his own choices in life.

Not having as many opportunities to run in the past few months has given me a clearer view of my running - and how much it means to me. Having to explicitly schedule time to run, having to work at squeezing running in or even having to beg ask for the chance to run has been an interesting exercise!

Years ago, when fertility specialists recommended nothing more than a fast walk I toed the line. As I've mentioned before, the minute I saw those beautiful, miraculous two blue lines  three and a half years ago I stopped running again without hesitation. I didn't miss running for that time because there was a bigger picture in my sights. The feeling when I picked it back up some 18 months later was just awesome though - a slow, painful awesome!

But lately, when running has been put on the backburner it's simply been a logistical problem. With Hubby slumbering faraway in a bed other than ours, I can't hit the road in the dark and cold as I normally would. I don't want to continuously palm Magoo off to accomodate my running and I won't compromise our days together just to serve my own interests. But I'm not injured or pregnant (sorry, girls!), so the desire to run is burning strong. Willing, but not so able.

This recent (unwelcome) lifestyle shift has made me appreciate any opportunity to run and reminded me of how running feeds my soul - and can soothe some of my ugliest traits. Quite pathetic, I know - but true.

I heart running!

What about you?
What fires you up and cools you down all at once?

Shar :-)