Running Season is Back!

There are two main times that you can find races; spring and fall. I don't always love running, but if every season could be running season, I wouldn't complain too much. So in honor of running my first race of the Spring Running Season, here's a running post to brighten your day.

As a freshmen in high school I took up cross country running, and I instantly liked the sport and gave it my all. Everything about it seemed exciting: the amazing team I got to hang out with, hacky sack before practice, free chocolate milk, rows upon rows of porta pottys, weird tan lines, and sore throats from cheering on pretty much everyone that ran by on the course, oh and I guess the running was okay too. My first two years running were hard, in a different way than it is now. I wasn’t fast and I got hurt easily. But then, my junior year of high school I fell completely in love with running, because that’s when I decided why I actually run.

            One of the most common questions I receive about running is “Do you like running?” Quite frankly, I don’t even know how to answer this question. I don’t always enjoy putting my body through hours of tiring runs in all sorts of weather, I don’t always enjoy pushing up a hill, or giving it my all during an interval, I don’t love running until I throw up, or telling myself not to walk when every muscle seems to protest against me, and I certainly do not like hitting a wall at mile 18 and feeling my body become sore as I’m still running. Even when I’m not running, I don’t love everything about it. I don’t love avoiding milk as to not get cotton mouth, or planning my days around running, not being able to walk up stairs the day after a long race, or showering more times a day than I would have planned. Running isn’t something I always enjoy. So when I get this question, I look at the person, laugh and say, “Well, I run…”

            The reason that I run isn’t because I love every moment of it. It’s not even totally about competing. The reason I run is because running is about endurance. Running is about strength, it’s about conquering yourself. It’s about finding yourself.

The reason I run is to challenge myself.

I may not enjoy running through the heat, but I enjoy knowing that I am working hard enough to sweat. I may not enjoy that hill but I enjoy the view from the top, and I enjoy knowing that I earned the downhill. I enjoy knowing that I sprinted my hardest during that interval. I enjoy knowing that I pushed myself hard enough to vomit. I enjoy conquering the pain in my body as I push through. I enjoy fighting hard enough to push onward. I enjoy being determined enough to plan around runs. I like feeling the soreness and stiffness in my legs when they object as I lift them.

I like running because it’s difficult.

I run to be determined, to grow character, to challenge myself, and to conquer the human limits that I feel pushing me down. I run because it gives me the opportunity to find my inner strength.