Me on running

I picked up running about a year and a half ago. From the person who hated sport that I was to someone that runs regularly like me today is a big personal transformation. Do I like running? No. I haven’t come to the magical mental state where they say “every step is full of joy”, or where I feel like “there are springs under my feet to push me forward”. Running to me still feels like a chore. Before every run I still secretly hope that it’d rain (even though I’d feel terribly guilty afterwards if I skip a run). Am I good at running? Hell no! My pace is closer to that of a jogger’s than a runner’s. I just heard that a 70-year-old lady ran at my pace for a half marathon. So I don’t enjoy nor am I good at running, why do I even do it?

Well, because it’s the only sport that I can do, and a sport that I hate the least. It requires virtually no equipment, and best of all, no other person. I guess what I want to say in this post is you don’t need to like or excel at something to do it. Running makes me feel empowered and much more confident in my own body (also because it gives me a better one). As much as I don’t like it, I still do it because I know I’m doing something good for myself. I like the idea of being active and able to conquer physical challenges. I just finished a half marathon with a result that I had worked hard to achieve, and that feeling can be addictive, it makes me want to have it again and again.

Oh I also chose running because it’s probably one of the cheapest sports. Of course you could throw in tons of money on shoes, clothing, tracking devices, etc. but you also don’t need anything to get you going other than what you already have. So go on, put on your shoes, and start cracking some miles.