I run for a blend of those reasons. As a mother of two very active boys, I want to be a good role model and show them that being active is an important part of your life. I also want to be healthy, and find running to be a good way to get some alone time to solve problems or just take a break from the chaos of the day.
I started running about two years ago. My sister works for a company that sponsors a lot of races. They were launching a New Year's Day race and she was trying to get people to register. On a whim, my husband D and I said, "why not?" We live where New Year's Day is pretty much guaranteed to be subzero, but it seemed like a fun idea. So on New Year's Day 2013, we ran our first 5K. I was in pretty rough shape, and D ran it like a champ quickly reverting to his days of cross-country. But at the end, we decided it was fun. So, we set a goal, run 10 races that year. We'd give ourselves two months off.
Needless to say, we both ran more than 10 races. D ran 11 and I ran 14. All were 5Ks, save one women's mud run for me. We had fun, it was like a monthly guaranteed date. We start off together, but D is significantly faster than me so we bid each other a good run at the starting line and then I watch him zoom ahead. This also means that usually he's at the finish with some water for me, so it's a good thing.
This year, we decided to commit to a race a month. I sprinkle in a few women's only runs (because let's be honest, there is some really nice swag when it comes to women's only runs.) I'm still quite slow, but am making progress and this year I threw in two 10Ks to push myself farther. They were tough, but they also gave me a new sense of accomplishment, too. And I shaved two minutes off my time from the first to the second one.
But after a two week rest due to a pulled muscle, I did just that this morning. The wind was horrendous. I decided to do one of my speed workouts, so it was just a 36 minute run with some speed intervals in the middle. The 40 degree temp didn't bother me, but the wind was like an enemy that just won't let down. But I did it.
It felt good. It reminded me why I run. It reminded me that I want to become an even stronger runner. I want to push myself to new challenges, I want to remove obstacles. I want to have the reward of sweat dripping down my face.
Our next race isn't until Thanksgiving - it's the run we do with our boys. It's the last run O will get to be in a stroller. It's a small tradition that we are hoping sticks for as long as we are able. We're trying a different race this year than last year (we wanted something a little smaller.) But until then, I need to get out as much as possible and continue to remind myself why I like to run.
