The day of the run

Today is national running day. Apparently people will come up with any reason to make every single day in the calendar something special. However, given my affinity for running I will bite. I will not be running tonight however which is kind of sad in a slight way. I have personal training and then an hour long class so running just isn’t in the cards, but that doesn’t mean I can’t address my love of running or my reasons for running. I run because…. This is the motto that you are supposed to fill in the blank. Honestly I could make like 50 of these little signs, but in a nutshell, paraphrased to one singular thought, I run because it has given me the world.

I toyed with the idea that I run because it has saved me completely. Because it transformed my soul. Because nothing makes me feel more alive. Because I am never happier. Because it is my everything. But in the end, running has changed my entire world and given me the things I love best about my world. It has truly given me by best world.

Running has opened doors in my heart and soul that I never even knew were there. It has connected me to people and places and experiences I had only dreamed about. It has broken down so many of my well placed and unknowingly tough exterior walls. Running is my savior. Just when I was at my wits end on so many levels running reappeared in my life and gave me direction and focus and clarity and happiness. I run because it’s simply not an option for me not to. I run because I am utterly happy in those moments of turmoil and agony.

Running has sent me on my greatest adventures to date. Sure, I took lots of vacations throughout the years prior to running, but they all pale in comparison now to the adventures I am tackling simply by choosing living over existing. The strength I have found blows me away. Who the hell am I? Who the hell is this girl standing here today, so contended and happy and willing to actively participate in life?  This is thanks to running and what it gives me.  Yes, I put in all the hard work for sure, but running opened the doors for me to soar. 

I don’t believe for a second that you have to be an Olympic paced runner to experience joy and happiness. Hell, I don’t even think there is such a thing as a time limit that constitutes a runner. If you run, you are a runner, no matter how fast you are going. I promise you this, the thrill of completing a task, of crossing the finish line is exactly the same whether it took you 8 minute miles or 18 minute miles to get there? That is the great thing about running; it is truly a sport where the person who finishes first and the person who finishes last get the same high. It’s pretty awesome.

Running has changed me into this person I am proud to be. 8 months ago at this time I had not ran an organized race. 8 months ago I had no idea that 2014 would actually turn out to be the year of running for me. I was beyond scared to spread my wings, test my limits and push my boundaries. I was terrified to run in public. Thank goodness for a single bout of bravery that made me hit submit on that first race. Thank you to all of my online support that encouraged me and kept me accountable in my head from backing out. Because without that race, without running, I don’t know where I’d be today.

The happiness, the endorphins, the sense of community and belonging I am developing amongst the fellow local runners is something that cannot be replicated or denied. I am thankful that all of my hard earned life lessons led me to that single moment of bravery where I submitted my registration to run. Life has simply never been the same thus.

Running has given me the world, my world, and I shall forever be grateful. In 35 years of existence this is the most at home I have ever felt in my body, in my surroundings, in my community, in my place in life. Running is my magic pill. So today, on the day set aside to honor its existence, I salute you running and your incredible allure and importance in my life. You bring out the best in me daily, and I’m looking forward to all you have in store for me in the future.