Why I run?

Although I have been finding it hard to get into the groove of running, I still think that I will be running for as long as I physically can. There might be other short term sports that interest me but running will still be a constant. That's my hope. I have been thinking about why I run. Or why I want to run. Here are some reasons I came up with on one of the bus trips.

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Whenever some friends who seldom exercises, read an article about how a young and seemingly healthy individual dies at a sporting event like a marathon or something similar, they might point it out to me as an excuse for why they don't exercise. Whenever they do that, I feel obligated to tell them I don't run so that I can live longer. That has never been the primary reason why I run. So what is the primary reason for my running? I find that a little difficult to answer because the answer is a composite of many reasons.

I run because I like running. I run because it enables me to go to last minute hiking trips whenever an opportunity arises. I run because I like traveling and remaining mobile even when I retire. I run because I enjoy the company of other runners. I run because it makes me feel fitter. I run because I like the idea of going different places to participate in a race.

Having said that, I think marathon distance races and longer will only be for the next few years. Optimally, I would like to keep to the fitness level of being able to do a 21km run with little or no notice. Kinabalu (my favourite race around this region) fortunately still fits into that category.

Running Motivation

Getting back to the groove of running is harder than I thought. I have been trying to build my running base for the past 2 months and the result has been pretty miserable. I think I am still the type that needs quite a lot of motivation to run even though I like running. I am getting maybe around 25 km a week but I should be getting about 50km. Too many distractions - weight training a little, skating a little, hiking a little...it all adds up to quite a lot.

Anyway, I bought myself some running equipment - a new pair of running shoes (3 weeks back) and a small backpack. The idea is to run to work twice or three times a week. That would add about 14km to the usual 25km run. If possible, push it up a little gradually. But given my motivation lately, it might not happen until KK dawns on me. Fortunately, there are some short races coming up to keep me on track.