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I never did sports in school. Well, as long as you don't count fifth grade. That year was the first year we could be in sports and I tried co-ed soccer (where our team lost all but two games) and girls' basketball (where I scored two baskets the entire season). That was the extent of my stint in sports. In middle school and high school, a part of me always wished that I could associate myself with something athletic, but I stuck with what I was better at: music. The part of me that wanted to be in a sport didn't really care what sport--but the last one I ever would have chosen would have been cross country. In P.E., running the mile was like the Day of Doom. The distance seemed interminable and to run two of them was not even in the scope of my brain. If these feelings resonate with you--if you are overweight or under-exercised or just lazy about getting out, please read just a little more. I only began running because I was bored. Teachers get their summers off and I was living in a small farm town far from home where I had few friends. So to occupy my time I decided that I would make it a goal to run a 5-K by the end of the summer. These are the changes I've observed in myself since that first 5-K and the reasons I continue to run: 1. Confidence Knowing that you can run three miles on any given day is an amazing feeling. At the end of a run, you may be wheezing and gasping, but 10 minutes later, you will feel health bursting from every cell in your body! 2. Energy Somehow, running gives you energy. Maybe it's the good feeling afterwards, but any day that begins with a run is off to a great start. You'll feel more alert, more productive, and more enthusiastic. 3. Conversation Running provides a topic of conversation in the most unexpected places. Every time you come across a fellow runner, you have at least 5-10 minutes of guaranteed conversation. 4. Relationships If you live in a big city, running groups are often easy to join. Even in small towns (I live in a small farm-town in Iowa), if there is a local gym where you run in the winter, you'll start to recognize the regulars and pretty soon you'll be chatting away. This is all to say nothing of people that you happen to end up running with during a race. 5. Health There's no better feeling than knowing that you are doing something so healthy for your body that will carry over and have effects for years to come!
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