Why Run?

I figure quite honestly if you think about it, there are only really two reasons why we run. We are either running away from something or chasing something down.  Any given day it could be either but for the most part, whatever your reason, it comes down to one of those two things.
I already told you how I became a distance runner…two babies, one year a part…then, throw a 3^rd child into the mix and you can imagine, that yes, my love affair continued. Some days I was probably running away from my life…not that I don’t absolutely adore my three children & my husband, but let’s face it…being a stay-at-home mom in the throes of baby/toddler/preschool  stages, your daily goals become quite simplified. Yes! Today I managed to get all three dressed, fed, & I remembered to brush my teeth! Bonus, I even got a load of laundry in (the fact that it took me 2 days to get it dried & put away is irrelevant).  And, no, I have not in fact showered yet & am still in my sweaty running clothes.
Running was an escape from the fear that I would never be more than a professional butt wiper, snot extractor & sorter of little tiny socks that always seem to disappear & end up as singles.  That fear took my running to a new level…what if I never became anything more than that? And so out on the road, I would let it all go & escape that fear that I would never actually accomplish even keeping the house clean, getting the laundry put away & keep three people alive with only minimal scarring. I could fly & run fast…challenge myself & see how tough I really was…after all, I actually got 7 hours of sleep with only three interruptions during the night.
And then, there is running to chase something down. With time, and as my children have grown to be mildy more independent…I have more runs now where I am chasing the dream.  Sometimes it is when I am in training for a specific race wanting to hit a specific time…others times it can be pure vanity…nothing like a good run to define my hard-earned muscles prior to hitting the beach.  Chasing the dream is a beautiful thing. You feel alive…you feel like you are running for all the right reasons…trying to attain a goal for yourself…whether it be for your cardiovascular health, for those sculpted muscles…or sometimes, the best times…when you aren’t escaping anything or training for anything but you just are running towards that feeling that you get after you come back from a good run…that feeling of being alive, cleansed & ready to conquer anything…knowing if you don’t,  there’s always another day and another run awaiting you.