Why I Run...

Ok, I know most people realize that I run and truly enjoy running. But, I don't think I have ever really expressed my reasoning behind it - why do I get up at 5:30 to run? why would I rather run in the rain than take a nap? why do I spend my Saturday mornings running rather than enjoying a nice cup of coffee on my back porch? Recently I've been feeling a little worn down and asking myself those same questions...but just yesterday I found an old article I tore out of Runner's World right after Jack was born (actually the August 2007 issue). I keep it in a journal I started for Jack, knowing that one day I would want him to know why I do what I do. The article was written by Kristin Armstrong (Lance Armstorng's ex-wife) and it reminded me why I do what I do (and made me want to keep doing it).

The title of the article is "Pretty Strong" and she made the case for running better than I ever could have. In the article she writes, "I want my girls (she has 2 girls and 1 boy) to grow up recongizing the beauty of strength, the exuberance of endurance, and the core confidence residing in a well-tended body and spirit. I want them to be more interested in what they are doing than how they look doing it. I can't tell my daughters that beauty is an incidental side effect of living your passion rather than an adherence to socially prescribed standards and I can't tell my son how to recognize and appreciate that kind of beauty in a woman. I have to show them, over and over again, mile after mile, until they feel the power of their own legs beneath them and catch the rhythym of their own strides."

My thoughts exactly. Right now, at this time in my life, I run for two reasons. The first being that I love it and when I am running I am thinking of nothing else. After a mile or two the stress goes away, the worries go away and I remember who I truly am. The second reason is that I want Jack to know how important it is to be healthy spiritually, emotionally and physically. I want him to know that you do have to work at all of these areas of your life - that having these three areas in sync does not come easily but that it is worth it. I want him to recognize and realize the potential of his own body and feel it working like God created it to work.

I have less time to run now than I ever have had. Working it in our schedule is hard. But looking ahead to what my sacrifice can teach Jack, it is more important than ever.