Why I Run

So a lot of my friends and acquaintances know me as a runner chick. Always running some marathon or (god help me) an ultramarathon. I'm not infallible and sometimes I fall off the running wagon and don't run for an extended period of time. OK - for me an extended period of time is like, well, a week. But still........I'm trying to prove that I'm human too.

I've run hundreds of races, dozens of marathons and one ultramarathon (that would be 50 miles, nonstop, in case you're wondering. check out http://www.keys100.com/ if you want to follow in my blistered footsteps. It's awesome). I've run in the morning, in the evening, in the dead of night, in the rain (hate when that happens), in the snow, in the freezing cold, during a hurricane and on some insanely beautiful and frighteningly ugly courses and trails.

I know the old chestnut - why do I run? Because it feels so good when I stop. Which is actually partially true. Also because a beer or a margarita never tastes as good as after a marathon. And because I was born with the tendency to not be built like my good friends Joy and Leticia - all tall and lithe and slender. If I didn't run or do something I would probably resemble tweedledee or humpty dumpty. Not a good look for me. And because it does allow me to travel to places to run a particular race without that tourist thing - I'm not a tourist - I'm here for a purpose - to run the Boston/New Orleans/Anchorage/Marine Corps/NYC marathon....And because it is cheaper than a gym membership, doesn't include those scary pilates torture devices and does not require me to learn neither intricate dance moves nor to hold poses for an extended period of time (I also, alas, was not born with grace or balance).

But the main reason why I run....the real reason why I run......is twofold - and sounds a little schizo. I run for the camaraderie AND the solitude.

Let me explain......In this world of increasingly less contact with people, running does offer a sense of community. This is such a digital age - you can be "friends" with someone you've never met, you can conduct meetings over thousands of miles and you can "phone in" your work, a report, a story, a pitch without ever having to leave your bedroom. The computer and cell phone and television are kings and while they have made the world smaller (I actually have friends and a client in Kenya. KENYA!) they have also made it more difficult to get together in person (I have friends, BEST FRIENDS, that I see like once every six months - you know who you are).....then one thing you can't do, though, is run a virtual race. Yes, I know. I hear you. Nike has tried that. Marketed it. Doesn't work. Stupid. Just a way to get your money. Even I, the running obsessed would not give Nike my money so I can run a marathon alone while other people are running alone wherever they are at the same time - would you? I will say this to you now, the road race, the marathon, the ultra marathon, the relay will continue to grow as a sport, a community event, a way to meet people.

So I run for the camaraderie. Because for the past seven years or so, every time Fall rolls around, I run with a team and train them for a race. And every Saturday at 5 am in the dark as I mix gatorade and drag Jack out of bed to walk dogs or something (because he joins me) I complain. And Jack complains. And I love every second of it. It's a rite of fall. It's seeing my friends. It's the joy I get when they are faster or stronger or have accomplished something great.

It's at the start of a large marathon being in a group of 20,000-40,000 other people who have the exact same goal as you. The same eye on the prize. It's at mile 13 or 26 or at the finish line when you talk to strangers on the course, sharing a gel or a helping hand to someone struggling that you don't even know and hearing complete and total strangers cheer for you like you're a rock star or a celebrity.

It's knowing that most of the people I cherish most on this earth are runners and that they embody the spirit of goodness. That they all have jobs, families, responsibilities yet still run and more often than not, raise money for a charity as well because I've found runners to be really good people. With hearts to match their appetites.

And there's the solitude.....Because sometimes after a long particularly difficult day of worries about job, bills, stress, obligations, sickness, loss....there is nothing more cathartic than putting on my shoes and running on the beach. Sometimes to music on the ipod. Sometimes to the music of the surf. But the world and it's petty and not so petty worries melt away. Running has kept me sane many many times over.

On second thought - it could be for the free t-shirts........