To all the people that hate waking up early but make themselves do it anyway.
To all those who go out in the cold, rain, and heat to do what they love.
To those who don’t wait for the perfect conditions to put in work.
To all the track runners out there.
Running is one hell of a sport. Every runner’s favorite running quote is, “Your sport is our sport's punishment” because we have yet to find something that more aptly explains the pain we put ourselves through day in and day out.
So why do it? So many people ask runners this question on a constant basis. There is no simple answer.
The days you complain about your workout. The days you're annoyed you can’t eat that really delicious dessert. The days you get upset when your alarm goes off for an early practice. These days happen constantly, which result in friends, coworkers, and sometimes family members questioning why you do this crazy sport.
Well the answers may vary, but the underlining idea is that all runners are searching for freedom. Nothing can possibly explain the feeling, come race day when you get to the starting line. You look at the path in front of you and all seems irrelevant. The weather, your competition, your debt, the amount of homework you have, family drama—none of it matters. When you step your foot in those blocks, the only thing in the world that matters is you and your race. You’re all alone. It's just as freeing as it is terrifying.
You step up the starting line and nerves fill your body, but in that moment you tell yourself you’re a badass and you can do anything. You get into your blocks, trying to keep calm. The official calls, “Set.” You get ready. A loud bang echoes through the sky, a circle of smoke is dispersed in the air. Just like that, you're free.
Running a race is one of the few moments in life in which you control your destiny. You control how hard you push, how fast you go, and how much you want to try. In that moment, you get a clean slate. Your pastimes are history because you have the chance to redefine them.
We run because the days we get a personal best come few and far between, but the feeling of running faster than you ever have before makes it all worth it. On the days you get a personal best, those races follow you. They make you think that anything is possible. They make you proud. When you look back, they make you realize that you and you alone made your goal a reality.
We work endlessly for the couple of seconds we get to feel what it’s like to fly. We put up with the blood, sweat, and pain to prove ourselves wrong and show everyone what we have. We run to escape what is and to enter the world of what could be.
So the next time someone asks you, “Why do you run?” respond with this, “Does it have to be under 500 words?
