And Now For Something Completely Different

When I am not busy in the garden, or chasing kids around, or working as a veterinarian to stamp out disease and pestilence.....I am running. Technically, I have been running since I was about 18 months old (as have most humans), but I grew up in a track and cross country family and so the bug bit me early.  This time of year, the running becomes a little more challenging because of the cold and ice, but my beloved treadmill (aka "dreadmill") lives downstairs in my basement and works as an effective hamster wheel throughout the cold months.

Why do I run? Sometimes people ask.  Mostly they just shake their heads and think I am nuts, but at least in this family, I am in good company - my husband runs, my son runs, and now my daughters are taking it up as well.

Marathons are my current distance of choice, and because of that, there are many hours spent running in preparation.  What follows are some of the reasons for "why I run" that my conscious mind has endeavored to latch on to when the potentially more rational parts of my brain try to get me to take a nap on the couch instead.

1. "Just Do It."
    Somewhere out there is a marketing person that has retired and is living large because of that slogan, but honestly, those three words have hauled my sorry butt out of bed in the dark of the morning and have helped me to slog those last agonizing miles home more times than I like to admit. There are thousands of reasons why I shouldn't run or don't need to run, or can't run and my brain will attempt to find them all.  It is only when my brain over rides the nay-saying with "Just Do It" loud enough that I get up and get going.  I have never regretted this phrase because I always feel better after I have Just Done It.

2. The thrill of seeing wildlife
     I see wildlife every day - on the way to work, on the farm, etc.  But there is something sort of magical about running around a bend and suddenly finding a deer and her fawn standing there on the trail, or a raccoon or skunk waddling along.  The occasional turtle and snake to leap over, or the ermine that dodges into the grass.  The herons that take flight and sore across the lake or the eagles that perch and stare down at me while I run by.  Running seems to catch many wild animals off guard because it allows a person to get into their territory quickly before they have the time to skitter away. I have seen more wild animals while running then ever while walking.

3. Seeing people (and pets) I know
    As a veterinarian, I see a lot of the clients and patients that I know while out running.  It is fun to be running toward a dog I know and say, "Hey Spike!" and have the dog stop in it's tracks and try to figure out how this person knows their name.  Same goes for the owners because, out of context I am just another runner passing by on the sidewalk, but when they realize who I am there are usually shouts of "hello!" and wagging tails.  Seeing other runners, whether I know them or not, is also fun.  I feel as though I share some amount of camaraderie with them just because we are both out pounding the same pavement and there are usually waves and hellos whether we know each other or not.

4. My kids
    Yes, I run for my kids.  I run because I want them to see an example of maintaining one's health and vitality as long as possible.  I want to be able to demonstrate for them that a person doesn't have to always win at something to enjoy doing it.  And, who am I kidding, I like to be able to beat them in a race or at least say I have run further than they have.  This is, of course, getting harder and harder, but it is a challenge none-the-less.

5. The distilling power of pain and discomfort.

I won't lie, sometimes running hurts....a lot.  I have had one broken ankle and one severely dislocated ankle in my lifetime and everyday (whether I run or not) one or both ankles will ache at times. Running long distances can be brutal on a person's body, but there is something in that masochistic behavior that is not unlike tempering steel into a honed blade.  I feel like I get fired up, pounded flat, and then folded again and again until I come out hardened and sharp.  I run until the pain is sometimes unbearable.... go a few miles more....and then I know I can stand anything.

6. How my legs look in short skirts
    Vanity is a perfectly legitimate reason for lacing up and heading out as long as it isn't the only reason. Sometimes, when other encouragements are failing, the thought of a new dress or shorts is enough to move me in the right direction.

7. Resting heart rate of 50 beats per minute.
    Studies have found that, in general, a person gets roughly 1 billion heart beats in their life.  So, in other words, the slower your heart beats on average, the longer you may live.  This makes fairly good sense.  When your heart is good at pumping blood and oxygen, when your muscles and organs are resourceful at utilizing energy with less waste, it makes the whole process easier and more efficient.

8. Eating and drinking
    My Hobbit lifestyle of loving food and drink is best served by running.  There is really nothing that I restrict when I am in the middle of training - whatever my body wants to eat or drink, it gets (within reason of course)  That is not a bad way to live, if you ask me.

9. The mental conversations - all the inner voices show themselves
    When I run I will often step outside of my own head and just listen to the voices in my brain battle it out.  For example,
Voice #1  "Why are you doing 12 miles today? You just did 8 yesterday!"
Voice #2, "Why not do 12 miles? You have to run twice that in a few weeks, you had better be able to pull it off."
Voice #1 "Yeah, but you don't want to get injured! Take it easy"
Voice #2 "Whatever! Clear out, we need to go for a run."
And this will continue on for 12 miles if I let it.
   Some might say that this sounds a little schizophrenic, but if you have ever tried meditating, this is what you are instructed to do - let the voices rattle on and recognize them for what they are, your ego attempting to maintain control - and then let them go....no more voices, just quiet clear space in which to run.   Running is my meditation.

10. Finishing
      There is really no better feeling than crossing a finish line knowing that you have put forth your best effort on that particular day.  The memory of crossing that line drives me along when I wonder if the tempo runs or hill workouts are really worth it.

11. That little thrill of butterflies just before the gun goes off
      I used to hate this feeling, but I have come to recognize that it is my body's way of saying "I am ready" by giving it that little jolt of epinephrine that can help to override the voice that likes to say, "What are you doing?"

12. Learning to respect my physical boundaries

      This has been a tough lesson to learn and one that has become more common in the last several years.  There is only so much that I, physically, can do.  There are certain records that I will never break, and likely personal records that I will never break again, but each day is new and each race is a new race...."I have never run this half marathon as a 41 year old....only as a 40 year old."  Rather than being depressed about getting older, I have to meet the challenges and accept them from my current point of reference.  Pining for lost youth and lost speed it pointless, and self defeating.  By focusing on doing the best that I can on this day, at this age, at this fitness level - let's just say that this year alone I have managed to pull off three personal records in racing as well as countless others on a daily basis in training.

13. Aging gracefully
      Sometimes it is hard to run knowing that my fastest days are likely behind me.  I see my husband struggling with this as his son has caught and passed him in a 5k earlier this year.  But then I have witnessed people almost twice my age out there tackling a course one hill at a time and I am inspired by them. They have tackled many of the same worries - loss of speed, ability to recover from injury-that I ponder, and they are still out there doing it and it helps to keep them stronger - mentally and physically.  If they can do it, I can too.

14. Weird tan lines
      You have to have a sense of humor when running - you will have weird tan lines.  Sock lines, short lines, sport bra lines, running number lines.  These can make for interesting conversations.  I like to think of them as my proof of absorbing a little Vitamin D and I carry these lines into the winter as a reminder of what spring and summer will bring again.

15. Bragging rights
      You do the work, you earn the right to brag about it if you want to.  You don't do the work, you don't get to brag.  I have decided that the times I feel the need to brag the most is when I am feeling low and overwhelmed by the task that I have carved out for myself.  I know some people really hate to hear about all the miles and runs that people put in, but once in a while just nod and smile and say "Nice job"...that's really all the gratification we are looking for and, for me, may be just the boost I need to tackle the next workout with enough self satisfaction that I won't say a thing.

16. Big crowds of people as crazy (or crazier) than I am

      I love big running races.  Boston takes the cake in my opinion - never have I seen so many people turned out for a running event in all my life - 26.2 miles of cheering crowds.  But even the smaller races with a smaller crowd of people are fun.  The group of people that toe up to any starting line are all in it for a reason that may be similar to yours, or they may be on a totally different running trajectory, but I have yet to meet a runner that laughs at your reasons for running.  More likely they will encourage you - no matter what the reason, cause, goal, pace, or level of expertise.  Runners are simply like that.  I have been in any number of races where someone will fall and, without fail, the runners around them stop, help them up, brush them off, make sure they are okay, and then give them an encouraging word before continuing on. That's the running crowd and I love it.

17. People telling me I am crazy
      I know it, but it is good to be reminded of it now and then anyway.  Running is the most constructive and socially acceptable outlet that I can imagine.  You think I am crazy for running...you should see me if I don't run.

18. Really cold long runs
      These are always the hardest to start because you know it will be painful, but somewhere in all the cold, you start to heat up and, regardless of the number of layers, feel like you really are moving along - snow, ice, and wind be damned.  The greatest part of these runs is finishing them and filling a tub full of hot water to thaw out.

19.  Really hot long runs
       These are the difficult ones to finish.  They start out easy enough - warm day, bright sunshine, but after several hours of this the heat takes a toll.  I have finally figured out the hydration scheme that makes it more tolerable, but coming home and realizing that the puddle around you is due to your own sweat ....let's just say that I think to myself, "this isn't sweat...it is just my fat cells crying"

20. The sense that the rest of my life is superfluous to the time I run

      I often consider some of the other projects or demands on my time as just something to do while I wait to run again.  A person can't run 24  hours a day, so while I am resting I might as well be doing something useful - like going to work - but trust me when I say that I am secretly planning my next running escape.

21. Distances are perceived differently
      I find myself chuckling when someone says, "I can't walk to the store, it's 2 miles!"  Literally running errands is sometimes the most fun a person can have and suddenly 20 miles really doesn't seem that far.

22. Mental montage with all my favorite songs
      Although I don't run with music all that often, once in a while it is great and picking out all your favorite songs allows a person to run with a fantastic montage.  It is like staring in your own personal inspirational video.

23. Running works out the kinks of gardening
      There are many times when I have spent the entire day squatting down in the dirt, or on my knees, or bent over in a deep forward bend.  My arms hurt, my back hurts, my legs hurt...and the best thing I can do to get them all back into place it to go for a run.

24. Church of the Sunday Long Run
      I am not a religious person so Sunday mornings for me are more often spent in running shoes in the open spaces, communing with nature and pondering all the great mysteries of life. Three or four hours spent seeking a higher level of consciousness is above and beyond what many people do for the sake of their souls on a Sunday morning.

25. Knowing all the running and biking paths by heart 
    That's not to say that I haven't been lost a number of times, but sometimes the only way to find your way is to loose it.  I know all the short cuts, all the cross roads, all the through streets, all the porta-potties, all the drinking fountains in several towns around me.  I have seem more of the state parks and city parks than most people (and sometimes all of them all in one day)  There are beautiful spots that are absolute gems that are often difficult to get to by car, but on foot...no problem.

26. Actually seeing the world and all the wonder that it contains.
     Only when running do I actually have the time to notice people's yards and gardens.  I notice how the river makes a crazy oxbow of a turn.  I run by the Jewish cemetery and see all the small stones placed on top of the head stones to indicate that someone that knew and loved them had been there recently.  Only while running do I notice the progression of housing projects or the completion of a new path.  When I drive in my car, the world goes by so quickly and I am removed from it.  Only running do I notice the subtle changes of the season and smell the different scents of the woods, the river, the lake, the suburbs (hot toast on one particular morning).  "People are on the world and not in it", as John Muir noted.  Running lets me be in it.

0.2  Because I can
       And this reason is perhaps one of the most important of all.  It is the reason that drives my feet in those last 0.2 miles at the finish of a race....because I can.  There are many people that for one reason or another cannot run - cannot stand up on their two legs and sustain the pace needed to run a marathon and so I feel somehow indebted to them and to myself to use this ability and to rejoice in it.  There will come a day when I can no longer do this, but today is not that day....and tomorrow won't be either.