Do You Run for Fun?

When I first began to run, it was a method of training for soccer, a way for me to get a leg up on the other girls trying out for the varsity squad, since there was no way my speed would nab me a spot. In college, running was a way to escape the pressure of school. The college was rural, and the roads surrounding the campus were full of pastoral surprises which could always lift my mood.

After I graduated, running became something I rarely pursued, until I met some runners at work. They introduced me to the races, and my competitive nature warmly quickly to the idea of competing not only against others, but myself as I sought faster and faster PRs. I logged more miles and dreamt of marathons.

Before I met any of those goals, my husband and I started our family. After the birth of my first child, running changed again. This time, running was for weight control, a way to take away the extra pounds I found myself burdened with. This continued after the birth of my second child, even as I stretched the miles out and started to compete in races again.

And then last year, my brother and I got the wild idea to go ahead and do a marathon. This goal had been on my list for some time, and I was tired of just talking the talk. With only three months to train, we pushed ourselves out on the long runs and finished the Portland Marathon that October.

Sometime during those miles, my running changed again. Running became more than weight control or stress relief (though it certainly did that as well). Running became . . . fun. Running became the passion in my life, the activity I woke up looking forward to, the topic of many intense conversations. The long run is less a thing to be dreaded and more anticipated.

That's the amazing thing about running. Your reasons for hitting the road can change, and I have heard from more than one person that as they journey further down the running path they find that they do learn to love the miles, much to their surprise. So keep with it, especially when it starts to get hard. You just might find that you do run for fun.