WHY I RUN

Recently, a fellow runner asked a group of us why we run.  He's compiling the answers for a blog post and wanted our honest feedback.  I jumped right in, giving him my 'go-to' response of:

Running keeps me sane.  It is my therapy.  It makes me feel alive.  It makes me feel like a badass.  It makes me feel powerful.  I run because it makes me a better wife.  A better mom.  And a better friend.  I run because it makes me who I am.

And that pretty much sums it up.  But, at the same time, it's so much more than that.  I knew he didn't want me to go into detail with all of my other reasons for his post, but I did take a minute to think about it myself.  What I realized is that while the above statement holds true all the time, each individual run I go on really serves its own purpose on that particular day.  Case in point, today's run.  Let me break it down for you.  Wait, I have to give you some backstory, so bear with me.  Both my kids have just finished battling a nasty cold.  I thought I'd been able to avoid it as I was showing no signs of getting sick, but on their last semi-bad day, my body eventually broke down and succumbed to the germs.  Wishful thinking.  Last Thursday, still in denial that I was sick, I attempted a tempo run on the treadmill.  No dice.  I had to end it early.  I got a couple more short and very slow runs in after that but then I had to surrender to the cold.  My tank was officially empty.  On Sunday morning, we flew down to FL to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my parents and my extended family.  Fortunately, my kids were now back in good health.  Unfortunately, I was not.  But, the upside of being with family and, more specifically, having my nephews around is that my mom duties are relatively low key.  So, I've been able to take it pretty easy the past couple days, meaning no running and lots of rest.  Talk about giving thanks!

This morning, I headed out for my first legitimate run since last Tuesday.  My legs felt good but my breathing was a pretty labored.  Honestly, you probably could have heard me from a half a mile away.  Within about 3 minutes I was sweating profusely.  I ran my first mile in 9:13.  Ok, I thought, not bad.  Just keep moving.  At this point, Clean Bandit's song,  'I'd Rather Be', came on.  She sang about being 'a thousand miles from comfort', which I thought was funny because I was pretty far from comfort myself.  I tried to settle in and find a groove and, as if on cue, it started to pour.  Ha!  Bring it, I said out loud.  To myself.  At mile 2, I was feeling a hair better, but still moving pretty slowly and, now, completely soaked.  Maybe I got ahead of myself with this run, I thought.  But, I forged on.  Eerily, MIKA started singing 'Relax, take it easy', so I did just that.  I let go and embraced the rain.  Okay, Rebecca. You've got this now.  Let's roll.  And that's when Katy Perry's song 'Roar' came on. YES!!!  I sang along with her, I even threw in some dance moves, as I, too, had the eye of the tiger.  I was cruising now.  My pace didn't matter.  My breathing didn't matter.  I was just happy to be back on the road, rocking out and moving my legs again.  I ran 6 miles total.  I finished strong.  Not fast.  Just steady and smiling.  The rain was still coming down.  The sky was gray.  I was tired.  And still, I felt awesome.  So, why did I run today?

REASON #43: I run to be outside, listen to good music and remind my body how good it feels to move.

Listen to this:
Running With the Boys - LIGHTS* 

*This Soundcloud clip is live.  It's worth listening to both versions.