Why Do They Run?
Couch potatoes and non-runners often wonder how some people could spend hours running on tracks, trails, beaches, or back roads. They ask if they ever get bored, especially when running alone having no one to talk with, or if they are on mountain trails, if they ever get scared some bear or snake might run after them.
The answer to these questions is: definitely not. In fact, they enjoy their runs. There are a lot of reasons why people run.
Among these is for health reasons. The benefits of exercise have been drummed into our heads since primary school, reinforced by medical practitioners and fitness gurus who have written volumes of books on the connection of exercise with a long and healthy life. And who doesn’t want this kind of life. The only issue is if you are willing to pay the price for it. Runners are.
Others go beyond health reasons. They run because they are convinced it is fun. Some people might say these runners have a distorted sense of what is fun, but that is only because they have never experienced what every true blue runner knows –the runner’s high. This is a feeling of exhilaration and euphoria that comes from knowing that you have just accomplished a demanding goal, that you have done something worthwhile, or that you have completed something most people cannot even imagine doing.
The fun part can also come from the sights, sounds, and smells along the way. If you run the trails, you are bound to see some colorful birds, chirping and flying overhead, probably looking for breakfast worms. The smell of dew- covered grass is certainly better than air filled with carbon monoxide. Try running along the beach at sunset. You won’t notice your aching quads or sore hamstrings as you marvel at the orange sun slowly sinking into the blue sea, and all the while listening to the sound of the waves as they caress the shore. The smell of the salty sea breeze completes the heady feeling.
Running is indeed fun, don’t you think?
