For the Love of Running

It's that time of year - the time of year when lots of people decide to exercise more.  So for those of you considering taking up running for exercise, I thought I would offer a little inspiration.

I run.  I run a decent amount - 25 miles a week - but I'm by no means a competitive runner or even a marathon runner.  But I'm sharing my story because I went from absolutely hating running to really liking (not quite loving) running.  So it might help somebody else get over that initial hump of hate.

15 years ago, I couldn't run down the block.  I couldn't think of many things that sounded worse.  But out of peer pressure (I lived in San Francisco and was 1 of like 3 people who didn't run) and the desire to have something cool to say on a first date ("I'm really into running"), I decided to give it a shot.  First a 5K.  Then a 12K.  And eventually a half marathon.  I was disciplined in training and completed the goals.  But did I like it?  Not really.  I would rather be watching a Real World marathon (remember those?  great for hang over days).

I spent many years in cycles of running for a year and then, not running because my life got busy and stressful.  Then, I would push through the agony of being out of shape and start all over again.  Finally, I got really tired of pushing through that agony.  So tired that I stopped the cycle.  I finally realized starting over again sucks way more than just going out and exercising.  And truthfully, reminding myself of that is sometimes what gets me out the door for the run.

So you know what happened along the way?  I actually really found the love in running.  It is by far the best, healthiest stress reliever in my life!  I can do it anywhere with minimal gear.  And most importantly, it is the one place I don't hear "mommy" or a ding of a new email/text or the phone ringing (do not run with your phone).  And even if I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day or my day isn't going well, if I get a run in, I feel like it was a good day.  Love that!

Here are my words of inspiration to get you going today - 

1.  The pain of the run is less than the pain of being out of shape.

2.  Look forward to the 30+ minutes of no one being able to talk to you and ask you for something!

3.  And if you need a 3rd, buy some cool new running shoes or clothes.  That gives me a extra boost.