Runner's High

I was reading an article in Fitness Magazine (April 2010 issue, pg. 125) entitled "Why I Run." Four women wrote a short essay about why they run, what made them start and why it outweighs any other form of exercise. Here were their reasons:
-It's the only "sport" I enjoy and can excel in.
-Running at sunrise is the calm before the day's storm of being a parent.
-It gives me inspiration for writing my novels.
-It was a natural form of Prozac after my husband lost his job.

I can relate to all of these reasons in some fashion. Obviously, running gives a plethora of physical benefits. I got to a point in my fitness life where no other form of exercise (minus spinning) quite got my heart rate up the way running did. When it comes to toning leg muscles, same thing. But I'm not going into great detail here, because the physical benefits are only the surface reasons for running.

The first woman in the article wrote that she had tried sports like soccer and failed miserably, then picked up cross-country, and even though when she started she usually came in last place, she eventually was able to run 3 miles in 23:28. I can completely relate to this one. As fitness-orientated as I have become, I am by no means blessed with athletic skill. Little hand/eye coordination and that classic girl fear of (I'm ashamed to say) being hit by the ball. I went to basketball camp in middle school and while I became really great at free throws (I made it into the 10-in-a-row club) the whole dribbling thing messes me up. I enjoy volleyball and played a lot last summer, getting better with each game. I know the first game I play this summer will NOT be pretty. Chad and I have recently been playing tennis, which is one of my better sports (not saying much). When we first bought our rackets I started the trash talk of how I was going to dominate him on the tennis courts. He looked at me and with all seriousness said, "No. I've seen you play sports." Leave it to your husband to be honest. With running, I don't need really any kind of coordination except to know how to run straight and dodge giant potholes---that I can do :)

The second story of "Why I Run" I can't fully relate to, as I'm not a parent--and hopefully won't be for a long time! But I can say that any stress I've felt either in college or real-world can be alleviated with a good run. No wonder I've been in such a great mood lately!

Again, the third story I can't relate to as much either as I am not a writer who's constantly brainstorming of plot ideas for novels. But of course running gives me inspiration for every day life creativity. Inspiration enough to start a blog!

Who can't relate to the last reason for running?? We all need some natural Prozac every now and then. And ANY exercise has this effect. I dinstinctly remember the workout I had 2 years ago on the weekend I found out my parents were getting a divorce. Again, I don't typically workout on weekends, but that Sunday night, as soon as I returned back to my college house up in Anderson I headed straight to the campus gym, avoiding all eye contact with the people I knew, and jumped on an elliptical. Music full blast, pedaling hard, wondering sometimes if the wetness on my face was sweat or tears. Even in situations as dire as this was, every little bit of physical activity helped. One thing that I both love and hate about my job is that no matter my mood, no matter what has just happened in my life, and no matter how rainy and gray the day is, I have to put on a pleasant face and be chipper enough to motivate other people--and be believable. One day at work, I got news that Chad's already meager pay had been cut in HALF due to my least favorite person EVER--Chad's old boss. I cried...hard. And then I composed myself and taught class. (Thank God Chad's new job came within a few weeks after that incident.) Even though I could confide in some of my clients or group fitness participants, there are settings where they need me to be the encouraging one--not the other way around. They are there to workout, be pushed, and find motivation in me that they may not have on their own. It's one of those things, when I pretend to be happy and smile for so long, I actually become happy and realize that my life isn't so bad after all. In fact, it's fabulous.

Why do you run?? Feel free to comment!