Thoughts on Running

With a heading of 'JustRun' you'd think my first post would have been about running. But writing, like running, is something that just happpens on it's own for me.

So, to live up to the heading, here are some of my thoughts on running:

1. I've been running sporadically for as long as I can remember, though I never felt like I needed to until about two years ago. That's when it all started. On a cold February afternoon, on a treadmill, in my house.

2. I've had countless people tell me how to be better, faster, stronger and last longer. Some advice I've taken, some I haven't.

3. I don't "blank out" when I run (as 'JustRun' may suggest). I take it all in, I let it all go, I contemplate, I plan, I sort- always the multi-tasker.

4. I enter races. I don't race. The only person I'm ever trying to beat is me.

5. I started running because I felt like a fatty.

6. I keep running because it's the only thing that's helped me realize it's not about the fat. Or the money. Or the house. Or the car. Or the job. It is about living and running gives me the opportunity to remember that.

7. I've met countless friends through running. I now have race invites and "places to crash" in London, Atlanta, Iowa, L.A., Chicago, St. Croix and right here at home thanks to the people I've met through running.

8. I've never regreted a run, even the ones where I lost my keys, my faith or my breakfast.

9. I wish my dog could run with me.

10. When I think about running, I hope to always feel just as I do now.