When I tell people that I run track, a lot of their first responses include something along the lines of, "You run for fun?" or, "Why would you choose to do that to yourself?" But joke's on them, because running is the easiest way to stay in shape. It works almost everything in your body at once, including your mental strength, which is actually the most important part of you, in my opinion. Running also shows self-discipline, which is another important aspect of staying healthy. Anyways, here are a few more specific reasons and benefits of running.
1. You can do it almost anywhere
Are you on vacation at the beach for two weeks with no access to a gym or any weightlifting areas? No excuse! Get out those dusty running shoes and run along the boardwalk or through the tourist-filled streets, or, better yet, lose the shoes and run right on the shore. That way you'll have an easy way to cool off once you finish. Or maybe you're trying to save money and can't afford a gym membership right now. Easy: you can just run through your neighborhood or, if you live out in the middle of nowhere, down some back roads. It's pretty simple just to start running, and eventually you'll have made up your own personal routes to run each day.
2. Our sport is your sport's punishment
Now, some of you that run may not have actually been on a track team in high school or college, but I'm sure you've heard this phrase at least a few times throughout you life as a runner. As a track athlete myself, I can confirm that knowing this actually makes running seem even better. At practices sometimes, another team, such as field hockey or lacrosse or football, will be on the field doing conditioning or, even worse, running as punishment for something that they messed up earlier in practice. I always laugh to myself when I see this going on because we do that stuff every day, whether we messed up or not. It's great to know that, even if we make a mistake in a meet, there is no way for the coaches to punish us, except making us run more, but really, who doesn't expect that when choosing to be a part of the track team?
3. Runner's high. It's real.
This is it. The mother of all reasons to run. Runner's high is caused by the release of endorphins that actually act a lot like morphine. Essentially, they are like feel-good drugs that your own body produces. So after finishing a particularly hard-running workout, you will get this insanely powerful feeling of accomplishment, like you're on top of the world and no one can bring you down. Your legs may feel like Jell-o and it may be a huge struggle just walking up the stairs to your room, but the feeling you get at the end of it all is more than worth all the pain.
Now, for those of you that have never been a runner or think you're too out of shape: remember, you don't have to start off at a ridiculous pace. Begin slowly and work your way up. And if you end up hating it, know that everyone who runs hates it...but just while they're doing it. Focus more on the fantastic feeling that you know you'll feel at the end. That's what always gets me through.
