Christina on Why I run

When Colleen asked me to contribute to her blog about why I run, I was flattered. I don’t read many blogs (actually I only read Colleen’s blog). And I don’t blog myself. I’m just old enough to have missed the technology bandwagon. I am not on facebook. I can barely manage itunes and online banking. And I’m pretty sure that most people won’t find my answer very interesting. But she assured me that she wanted me to write it anyway. So as a blogging rookie, here goes…..

Why I run….I am not an athlete. I never was. I played sports and was ok at them, but never excelled. I think this was because my parents (no disrespect intended) didn’t push me. If I wanted to quit a sport, they let me. They would pick me up from practice and take me home. They never made me stay after to work on skills I was lacking. I always wonder what could have been if I had been pushed just a little bit harder. But alas, here I am. I am 38 years old, a mom to two beautiful daughters, and am trying desperately to become a runner. I don’t know why, really. It’s a hard and lonely sport. Many times after a long run I think to myself – “why am I doing this again?” But then I remember. I’m doing this for me. I’m doing this for my girls. I’m doing this because I want to be an example for them. I want them to learn that it’s important to take care of your body and make the time for exercise. I want them to see that I make time for that, despite working full time and taking care of my family. I want them to see that mommies do more than make sandwiches and wipe noses. I want them to see how much you can achieve when you give something your all. When you push yourself to the limit. When you take that one extra step when everything is telling you that you can’t. I want them to see the frustration when I cheat on my training and it shows in my time at my next race. I want them to see the reward associated with achieving a goal that you never dreamed possible (like my goal of finishing a marathon by the time I am 40. I plan to run my first marathon this May). I want them to see that it’s ok to struggle, it’s ok to fall short of a goal, but it’s never ok to quit. Running has taught me all of those things. But there’s more….running gives me the solitude that a busy mom rarely gets. Just me and the pavement. Time to think. Lots of time to think. It’s torture sometimes, yes, but I am the best mom to my girls after a good run. I am re-juvinated (translation …..exhausted), but full of energy for them. I love when my little one is still cuddling in bed when I get back from a morning run, and she looks at me with sleepy eyes and says “mama, did you run today?” I love that my oldest asks me when she can run a race with me. I love that I have the energy and strength to play with them and make them better athletes. Will I continue running forever? I hope so. Maybe not marathons. Maybe just 5 and 10K’s. Maybe a half marathon every now and then. Maybe just enough to look decent at the beach in my 40’s. Maybe just enough to burn off the extra brownie I have before bed. Maybe just enough so that my girls can watch me with pride and say “That’s MY mom!”

That’s why I run. What’s your motivation?

Thanks Christina for writing this. Just reading this got me re-motivated to get back to running. My previous feature was why Chrissy runs.