I don’t know why I started.
I told friends I wanted to feel like an athlete again. Coworkers heard I needed a way to de-stress. And the guy in the mirror chalked it up to simply being bored.
There’s a bit of truth to all those reasons, but even now, about a year later, I can’t say for certain why I chose to run.
Running was always supplemental to me before. It was how I got from one half of the court to the other, how I conditioned myself pre-season, and most often, how I was punished for making mistakes. The act of running itself though was never something I’d ever just…do.
That changed last year.
A few months ago, I thought, “That might be fun”. Fast forward a bit, and I’m running 10 miles on a random Thursday evening.
Now I’ll be honest with you, I’m not fast. But if there’s one thing this sport has proven in my short time with it, it’s this:
I can endure.
Long distance running isn’t so much about how fast you are. It’s about the inevitable fatigue that comes from moving forward and how trained you are at persisting in spite of it.
That fact is why this sport is for everyone—from the gym-obsessed jock who zooms around the track, to the mother of three who can barely squeeze in a jog on the weekend—but it’s especially why running is for me.
A cocktail of abuse, insecurity, and devastating failures have all been a part my story, and yet, like in my newfound hobby, my feet are trained to keep moving forward.
No, I may not be fast, and my drenched shirt and nagging knees will betray any claim of an effortless stroll, but best believe I’ll say the same two words after even the hardest of runs:
“Didn’t quit.”
There’s a uniquely rewarding pleasure that comes from finishing difficult runs. It makes you feel strong, confident, and sometimes, invincible. It gives a reference point to look back on later and think to yourself, “Hey, I did that!”
The benefits don’t stop with those feelings either. Just surviving gives your body the stimulus it needs to ensure the act will never challenge you as much as it did before. That’s the beauty of this sport.
Yes, endurance may frighten its strangers, but it also addicts its acquaintances. That’s why I keep coming back.
The will to run that I found is simply the will to endure. And life requires all of us to discover the latter.
So no, you might not be interested in the sport itself. For all I know, you may not be physically able to run either…
…but everyone can improve their endurance.
I’ll do my best to show you how.
-Drew
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