Running: You're Awful, I Love You

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a half marathon because of the feeling I'll have once it's over.

That makes perfect sense, right? Ok, the real reason my friends and I signed up is because the band Sugar Ray will be performing at the finish line, but I digress.

I have to preface this story with a trip down sports memory lane. I played basketball from 5th through 12th grade. Basketball involves short, explosive speed. During practice, running equaled punishment, and that is exactly how I’ve viewed it for the last 13 years, as punishment.

During my freshmen year of high school, I decided to run track. I recall being worked into a tizzy the time I was signed up for the 400 meter dash since it was such a far distance. That was for the medium-distance runners, not me. Later on in the season, my best friend and I decided that we were cold and that it sounded like a good idea to walk down to the convenient store and get some Cheetos and hot chocolate. We consequently missed our race and were kicked off the team.

I always just thought the cross country kids just hated being home or something. I’ve never understood the point of running.

Earlier this year, a friend and I got motivated to run a 5k race. We signed up for the St. Patty’s race, and unbeknownst to us, it ended up being a 5 mile, not a 5k. Since then, we’ve signed up for 5k’s, 5 mile runs, and 10k’s. We finally decided to go for the St. Louis Rock 'n' Roll half marathon.

I found a training plan which has been going great. For the first few weeks, I motivated myself to set out on the Katy Trail by thinking about how nice it would be to just have the run "out of the way." That thought paired up with my stubbornness and devotion to the training program and before I knew it, I was three miles down the trail in the 98 degree heat.

It’s a love/hate thing for me. Some days while running, I feel ambitious and consider signing up for a full marathon next year; conversely, other days I scold myself for voluntarily signing up to run 13.1 miles and I pass the time by shamefully wondering when I became a masochist. There are a few in-between days scattered in there when I zone out, enjoy the music and scenery, and with every passing step I feel less and less guilty about the deep fried philly roll and martinis I had for dinner.

Having said that, I must admit that my love for running is growing more with every run I go on. It’s pretty awesome to be able to stifle the desire for instant gratification at the beginning of the program and keep on training, knowing it will all be worth it in the long run (pun intended).

There are many well-known benefits to running and exercise in general. It’s good for your heart, it’s healthy to sweat, you generally have to tweak your nutrition to improve performance, it produces endorphins, it helps you sleep, it’s a great stress relief, et al. We all know this.

I’m just now beginning to see some major benefits of running:

• Most notably, I can get away with eating more. That alone is so worth giving up my sedentary lifestyle.
• It has put my friends and I on a new level after multiple discussions about the awful things that happen with our digestive tracts.
• Pedicures are much more appreciated, and now when I try to convince myself that they are necessary, I really believe it.
• I’ve begun to enjoy some quality decompressing time alone without having to give up my regular plan that involves Roseanne and Nutella.
• Running on the Katy Trail has its own benefits. I’ve often found myself running faster to get away from bees, snakes, and shady trailers parked in discrete lots.
• I've seen some pretty awesome sunrises. I don't think I've been up and about early enough to see a sunrise since Basic Training.

Ultimately, what makes running so wonderfully ingrained in my routine is the feeling of accomplishment every single day. Every day I push myself outside of my comfort zone. It prevents my days and weeks from becoming painfully mundane.

I have to say, despite the early mornings, the heat, and the times I’ve come close to regurgitating Fro-Yo, the hardest part of this half marathon training program was the decision to start. Making the decision to commit with 12 weeks and 208.1 daunting miles ahead of me was not easy, but I’m so glad I stepped up.

I might not agree with that last statement while I’m on mile 8 of 13.1 during the race, but really—I don’t run to run. It’s the same as many other things in life—I didn’t go to college to stay up late studying and enter adulthood with $20k of debt; I went for my degree. I don’t go to the dentist because it’s fun, and I don’t take vitamins because they taste yummy.

I run to stop running, and every single day that accomplishment alone is completely worth the distance.

Well, that and the race t-shirt. Everyone loves t-shirts.