Ode to Running

Oh running, how I've missed you!

Three weeks ago an old overuse injury came back that meant taking a complete break from running. For the past 2 weeks I have stretched, rolled, iced, and patiently waited for my body to heal. Today, I excitedly laced up my Newtons for a small, easy run to see if my body can handle it. It was pouring out and windy, but I didn't care. I went to the track where I usually run and went through the familiar routine: iPod in, GPS on, walk, warm up, stretch, run! As my legs took those first few strides, I felt so happy! Almost giddy. I think only another runner would understand.

Let me just stop right here to say that running and I, we only met in late January of this year. I took up running only as a consequence of wanting to do a triathlon. Prior to this, I had never run a mile in my life. The Couch to 5k training plan I followed was supposed to only get me through the run portion of a sprint distance tri - no more, no less. I thought if I could only run 5k, however slowly, then I could do a tri and I'd be completely happy. Fast forward 10 months, four 5ks, one 8k, and one 10k later, I am loving running! I am signed up to do a half-marathon in May 2010 and I believe there is a full marathon in my future - a thought that, only 10 months ago I would have dismissed as being "crazy".

So what changed? How did I get from being a non-runner struggling to run 5k, to someone contemplating a full marathon? What is it about running that gets so many people hooked? Your reasons may be different from mine. Let me count the ways...

I love the rush. What can I say? I'm an endorphin junkie just like the rest of ya! Let's get one thing straight: running is painful - for me, anyway. Yet nothing makes me feel more alive and aware of my body. I feel like a well-tuned machine capable of so much more than what my brain thinks I can handle. I love that I can push past the mental barriers and my body delivers. The high that lasts all day? Nice bonus!

The hunger, oh the hunger! There is nothing more satisfying than feeling your body burn calories like nobody's business. Yes, swimming and cycling burn major calories, too. But it's a different kind of hunger with running - the kind that makes you want to empty the contents of your fridge and feel totally justified doing it. My food bill has gone up quite significantly as a result. Not that I mind.

Long, lean muscles. I have not lost any weight since I started training. Although I have leaned out noticeably and gone down one dress size I have, in fact, gained a few pounds. All muscle. Mostly from running. Hamstrings, quads, calves. I have to attribute the back and arm muscles to swimming, and my quads partly to cycling. But those first few months on the Couch to 5k built up strength and muscle mass in my legs that I never had before.

I love the solitude. Hearing the sound of my breathing, the rhythm of my feet hitting the ground, looking at the stretch of road before me. Every run is different, but it's my run. Even when I run with somebody else, it's still my run. I make of it what I put into it. I can be alone with my thoughts, get clarity, gain perspective.

Lastly, I love being hard core. When I run in bad weather, it makes me feel like a bad@#s :) I used to pass these runners on the early morning drive to work. They're out there at 430am in the winter when it's wet, and cold and dark, and I used to say, "Crazy runner!" I never thought I would become that person. Life is funny. Today I looked at the soggy pile of clothes on the floor, smiled, and said, "Yeah, I'm a bad@#s!"

What do you love about running?