Why I Love to Run!

A question I often get asked is “…why do you run?..” I guess pounding the pavement, exhausting myself, risking injury, waking at the crack of dawn, sometimes in the Canberra cold….it  does seem like an odd thing to do doesn’t it?!

Why I started running

Before I had kids a had a little experience with running when I took part in some triathlon and dualthon events at university…lets just say that I very quickly chose to take up cycling, running was just so hard! It felt like cycling up hill…all the time…even when running down hill!

After having children and not doing much exercise, I started running because my daughter wanted to train for her school cross country run. I remember the first time I went running with her she was loping along beside side me, chatting away. She asked me…

“…What’s that tree called Mummy?…Mummy??….mummy???...”

and all I could reply with was..

 “…too puffed…..can’t talk…”

After that experience, I decided that running would be a great way for me to exercise and burn some extra kilojoules for the weight loss efforts I was consumed by at the time. For me, running ticked all the boxes.

Because I so sucked at running, a 30min run was enough to absolutely exhaust me! Having been a competitive cyclist before having the children, I knew I would have had to ride my bike for hours to get the same effect and with three young children, I just didn’t have the time for that!

It suited my schedule to run early in the mornings when GrumpyDaddy was still at home to look after the kids. Usually I’d go before they even woke up!

I thought running would be cost effective because I didn’t need to pay for gym membership and equipment….little did I know how expensive running shoes, cloths and electronic gadgets were J

Nervous before my first 10k fun run!

Running now means a whole lot more to me than just a way to burn calories and lose weight.

I love running now for the example it sets for my kids! In my experience kids seem to copy the behavior of the important adults in their lives. They can see for them selves that I think physical activity is important because I do it myself! I even think they were a little proud of me when I finish the fun runs…even though I definitely don’t finish at the front of the pack! In a small way, I hope my running inspires my kids in their sports!

I also just love running for the sake of running! I love that I can get away from the kids for just a little while and have some time to think! There is something about the rhythm of running, or the stress on the body that seems to free up my mind. Sometimes I get so involved in a thought, I haven’t even noticed that I have run kilometers! I love to plan while I’m running…every thing from what to make for dinner, shopping lists, birthday parties, the kids activities…everything!

I also love how I feel after I run! Although it is probably just in my head I feel stronger, I feel like I have accomplished something that day! I remember the first time I ever ran 10km…I was exhausted but man I felt so good!! It was such a high!! Even though running uses energy I find that I seem to have much more energy for the rest of the day. I love running because I love the way that it makes me feel…..Fitter, stronger, and more energetic.

Are  you a runner? I’d love to know why you run?

I'm linking up today with Kate Says Stuff for Fitness Friday...come on over and read some informative and motivational posts about fitness!