Why I run

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run.-Forrest Gump

I was watching Forrest Gump on TNT last night and wow did it take me back. My favorite scene is where he starts running cross country form ocean to ocean. I had the biggest grin on my face watching that scene. It got me thinking, "Well, just why in the hell do I run??" When I watch Forrest Gump, it makes sense why he runs. He runs away from his problems so that they don't consume him. He runs because it makes him feel free, that's all he's known to ever do, and he does it well. Running has never let him down. He runs to fight loss and when he runs, he wins.

In a way, that's why I run too. I started doing my longer races when I was diagnosed with thyroid tumors (Actually before that, I ran in high school for the CC team). I was scared and felt out of control. I wanted to be healthier and lose some weight as well. I saw that my friend, Carrie, ran 1/2 marathons and I thought that was a really neat thing to do to achieve, a good goal. I of course had back surgery when I broke my back in 2003, so I didn't run for a good long while before I got back into it. I didn't know if I could do it, I mean would my back be ok? Would I have to have surgery to remove my thyroid tumors, so I wouldn't get anywhere. Ugh so many thoughts! I decided to press on reguardless and start training. Everything went well and I finished my 1st 1/2 marathon that December in Dallas. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. I had regained a part of my life that I thought I would never have because of my back surgery. And thankfully as well, my tumors were benign and don't need to be removed for now, so I am thankful for that.

Running just makes me feel so empowered. It gives me freedom and makes me feel strong. Its given me back a chunk of my life that was taken from me a few years ago and now I am better, faster & stronger than I was when I was 18. Like Forrest (and I feel like many runners achieve this), the running is inspirational. I am so blessed to have so many people come up to me, wanting to do and accomplish what I have with the running. That is the bigger gift for me as far as I'm concerned. SO what if I lose some fat, or can run faster. If I can inspirae at least one person to get off the couch and imporve their life, mood, whatever, then I've really won. Its such a responsibility, but a blessing at the same time. I mean, hell I get to travel and see the world to run. I get to experience life to the fullest and live what I read and heard of. That is another great gift.

So I run to fight my problems, and I do. My anxiety levels have gone way down, I feel so free and I have some control over my life again. Running in my opinion is a gift from God. Period. You can't convince me otherwise. Here are some links to some sites for you to get inspired. First off, I was mentioned on a podcast!! Here is the direct link for downloading (I'm mentioned about 35 minutes in)
http://m.podshow.com/media/1928/episodes/74012/phedippidations-74012-08-08-2007.mp3
Its on a podcast I subscribe to. The host has a website at http://www.steverunner.com/
Its a great podcast, I recommend it! Also go to http://www.ultramarathonman.com/
That is Dean Karnazes' website. He is a a hero of mine for sure! I got to see him in San Fran, so that was amazing! Here's the Forrest Gump clip, with music, so ENJOY!! :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypOhzie7KBI