The health benefits have obviously been amazing. I’ve lost weight. I feel great. And for the first time in my life, I feel fit.
The physical has not been the only aspect that has changed for me. The greatest accomplishment of running has been my confidence, which comes in many forms than just self image.
The confidence comes from the races I’ve finished. Having a schedule of mileage you need to run and committing to is a challenge. There were days I said no, but ran anyways, and there were days I said no, and didn’t run. Each time, though, it felt great, even when it hurt.
When a race day came, I never felt unprepared. It was just another run with a couple hundred other people. Having a goal (the race) and accomplishing is always the objective — personal records be damn, finishing is all I’m thinking about.
The confidence comes from the friends I’ve made. The running group that I was part of San Francisco changed my perspective on running. It was no longer lone exercise in the pre-weight lifting regime.
Running can be social. You’ll run with people faster and slower than your current speed, but either way it will be motivation. Some will talk, listen, or politely tell you to shut up because you are talking too much.
The confidence in knowing that there is always the next goal. Getting to the finish line is awesome. Once I cross it, for thirty seconds I hurt, but after that I always think to myself, “What next?”
The next challenge whether is be farther or faster. If there’s a destination race, that promotes drinking of wine instead of water. It could be that next time you’ll spectate instead of participate, to support those friends that have always supported you.
These are just a few of the reasons of why I run.
