These Are the Reasons I Run

I don’t run marathons. Definitely don’t do any of that ultra stuff people are really into right now. Hell, I don’t even run races. As ridiculously competitive as I am, running a race against others doesn't appeal to me. Running is something I'm selfish about; it's mine.  I want to do it because I want to do it, not because I have to.  I don’t run to win in that regard, but in other ways I have gained victories.

I run because I can. Literally. It is something I am physically able to do and one day, I may not. There may come a time when disease or injury takes it away from me - the ability to freely move my body as I wish. I’ve seen it happen to others time and time again, and I feel like it may be one of the most heartbreaking things to grieve the loss of.  I've witnessed the loss of one's strength, the control of their legs, the inability to even get from point A to point B without help. If it ever happens to me, I want to know I used my body as much as I could when I could. It’s a gift.

I run to feel my heartbeat. To feel the muscles in my legs. To feel my lungs. The pounding, the stain, the expansion. It’s truly the feeling of being alive as my body reaches its peak of exertion. It fights and pushes through and all still within my control. I am the one forcing myself beyond what may seem possible. The endorphins are a natural ‘drug’, coursing through me. It really is a surge that reminds me that I exist and I have power. 

I run to think. Or sometimes to think about nothing.  I can push everything out of my head and just be in the movement that’s required of me. It allows me to not have to have a million thoughts jumping around in my head or to primarily focus on one in particular. Somehow things become clearer, if only for an hour or so. Sometimes it takes multiple runs to get to the end of something but it’s that motion that seems to put the thought through the processor. Run after run I’ve had a thought or situation become clearer. I’ve let go of things, accepted responsibility, come to a decision, or just not be bothered by the nonsense that’s happening around me, even if that is only temporary relief. 

I run to soothe stress. However exhausted I am afterwards, however sweaty, there’s relief. My body is thankful, my mind is thankful.  For some reason, to produce a strong physical response or alternative to the emotion I’m feeling or the mood I’m in, aids in releasing it and letting it pass. There is certainly some scientific evidence that correlates stress relief and exercise, but I just know the after effect is accomplishment and empowerment.

My Running Playlist:

• • Alligator by Of Monsters and Men

  • Believer by Imagine Dragons

  • Gorgeous by X Ambassadors 

  • Two Years Ago by Ellie Goulding

  • Black Skinhead by Kanye West

  • Where the Streets Have No Name by U2

  • Devil Like Me by Rainbow Kitten Surprise 

  • Cinderella Man by Eminem

  • Hard Time by Seinbo Sey

  • Only If For a Night by Florence and the Machine

  • Fall Together by The Temper Trap

  • Fool in the Rain by Led Zeppelin