Monday, June 22, 2009

What Inspires You to Run?

I received a comment(from Sian) on my last post asking "Do you really just get into it." I'm assuming the question is around the desire to just get out and run. Does one just really get into it to the point where they just love and can't wait for their next run.

There is no concrete answer to this. As I've previously posted, I've been running since I was young so it has always been a part of my life. I go through periods where I absolutely LOVE running. I just have the desire to bust out of my office space and run down the street. When I feel this way I can't get enough, running clears my mind and energizes my life. 

I would be lying if I said that I always felt this way about running. Sometimes (like for the past couple of weeks) I just don't feel like running. I don't know why but I go through these periods where I just don't have the desire to run. 

I think it all comes down to why you are running. I have lots of friends that run and they have a variety of reasons as to why they run (companionship, health reasons, sanity, etc.) I think that if you stick with it for a while you will start to love it. And if you don't love it then don't do it. I am a big advocate of running and I think everyone that can should do at least some running but life is too precious to waste time on doing something you REALLY don't enjoy. 

There is always cycling....

So fellow runners; do you have any advice for Sian? When you started running did you automatically love it or did it have to grow on you? If so, how long did it take?

2 comments:

Mauricio Sanchez said...

My advise for Sian is to keep on running! Yes, at first and maybe for awhile it will be a struggle but then it will get easier. It did for me. Now, I have to run...swim and/or bike! My body notices when I go more than a day without it, my family and friends notice it as well and sometimes not in a good way! BUT as I always tell my daughters: "you gotta love what you do and do what you love, otherwise don't do it, find something else".
Nice Post!

The Running Bob said...

When I first started, I wasn't "into it" but thank god I joined a running group because there was an expectation by everyone that you were to attend the runs. Little by little with weekly improvement, I got into it, especially after seeing the results in the mirror. Next, I felt challenged by certain distances. What seemed like an impossiblity or improbable distance(a 3 mile for example) became a known as "quick short run". I think running/deciding to run a certain race distance and train for it, becomes an event greater than "the act of running". You set personal goals and achieve them which carries over to other aspects of your life.