Why run?

One of my friends heard about my recent trip and asked me if it was an “eat, pray, love” trip. I jokingly, said it was more like an “eat, reflect and run” trip. Then she asked me, why run? ...

…Why run? I am not much of a runner. I am a late bloomer who was introduced to running just a few years ago. I run with the grace of a new born calf attempting to walk. My pace is not great, and I run a few miles on most days. But, I still love running.

For me running is a spiritual experience. For some it’s praying, for some it’s meditating and for some it is going to the church or temple. For me it’s running? I don’t run to compete in a marathon or a half marathon. One day I might, but it’ not about that. There are days I want to beat my personal best pace, want to do an extra mile than usual, or make it to the tree on top of the hill. But, it’s not about that. It’s about that feeling you get when you run. It’s hard to describe it in words, but I’ll try. As you are running, your shins are hurting, you are gasping for air, and you almost want to stop, but then suddenly you look at the silhouette of a sailboat over a crimson sunset on the water, feel the gentle lake Erie breeze and the warmth of the sun on your face. Somehow, in that moment, all the pain and all the worries disappear. You are not worried about what your pace is or how many more miles you have to run. You are blissfully lost in that moment. In that moment, in a wired way, the universe and life makes absolute sense. You are content and at peace with yourself and the world. If that’s not spiritual, I don’t know what else is.

Running taught me a life lesson. Living is like running. We have our goals we are running towards. Project deadlines, patients to see, meetings to attend and emails to reply. We are so worried about not getting through the day, that we don’t appreciate the moment we are in and celebrate the fact that we made it so far. On such crazy days, I stop for a minute, relive the “running moment” in my mind, try to savor and accept something good about that moment without worrying about tomorrow, the next hour or the next minute. That gives me peace, hope and courage that I can make it through that day and a lifetime of such days.