I despise running. Actually, I hate running with a burning passion. I can't breathe after two minutes and I know for a fact that my running form is horrible to look at. Everyone is amused when I say that I hate it because I played basketball in high school. Obviously, that meant that I had to run a lot. I tried pointing out that running for sports is vastly different than running for "fun." I also mentioned that sprints are far different than running distance. I ran for a purpose and in my opinion, just running every day has no purpose. This probably matters very little to everyone, but really it should for one reason- I do it anyway.

So, now you're probably wondering why I do something that I hate and there are a couple reasons. One, I may go into police work and I have to be able to run after criminals. I can't think of one criminal who would voluntarily wait for me to catch up to him/her and make an arrest. Two, I am very out of shape since I no longer play sports and that's really depressing to me. The most important though, is that it teaches me perseverance.

Now, you're probably thinking "No duh, of course it teaches perseverance.” Just let me explain further. I know that it teaches that in terms of running, but it has more implications than that. It's teaching me how to continue with something regardless of how much I hate it. I will not love everything that I do in life and I need to learn to deal with that. I need to learn that I can't give up on things because they're difficult and aren't fun. Running is teaching me to suck it up and get the job done.

Another thing that I've learned is that it's a great distraction. I've heard people say that running is relaxing and I always laughed. How could something be relaxing when you can't breath and end up sweating half your body weight? I don't think it's relaxing. I do, however, think that it can give you an outlet for your thoughts. When I run, I focus on my breathing and the repetitive sound of my feet smacking against the pavement. It's not calming, but it is something to focus on. I can spend twenty minutes not worrying about the problems that I have. I can stop worrying about what I'm going to do with my life once I graduate. I don't think about how I'm going to pay for my apartment next semester. I don't have to think about anything except breathing in and out. Since that's pretty important, I just tend to stick with that instead of worrying about everything else.

I will probably always hate running. I will never find it to be fun. I will never look forward to my daily jog. I will, however, be thankful for what it offers. I will be thankful that it has taught me how to be an adult who does what she has to do, regardless of if I want to. It has taught me how to let go of every-day concerns and just relax my mind a little. So, next time there's something you hate, but know you should do, keep with it because it may have something important to teach you.