Why I Run

Why I run:


My hilarious older brother often reminds me that he will start running when lions chase him. He has hunted in Africa so this has been a very real possibility. Then, just today, he hunted wild boar in Florida. I think I'll hit him up for a run when he gets back. Last time he ran with me, we were teenagers. I think he hugged a garbage can at the end but he always reminds me he can still hang me upside down by my toes. Aaah, I love my brother. This page is for him so that perhaps he will understand why his psycho sister runs!

1. I run for the simplicity – it is about one foot in front of the other, no technically difficult tasks are involved in the sport, possibly dodging a few country dogs or urban road hazards, but for the most part it is simple. One foot, then the other.
2. I run for the quiet – oh the blessed quiet of not having to talk or answer questions.
3. I run for the exertion – I believe there is something very important and beneficial, even dare I say necessary and some what lost in our culture about doing things that are difficult. I need to do hard things. I want to push myself to a point where I am not sure that I am able to continue. It is vitally important to me to push that hard and then keep going. Life, I have found, is very much like that. God asks us to do the impossible, in His strength, and then do it again and again and again. Could He be trying to teach me something here?
4. I run because I am created to run. Some what obvious, I know but the sense of design and destiny is irrefutable. I run to overcome my fears and addictions. It helps me place them at my Savior's feet...mile after mile.  I run because when I come home, I am a better wife to my husband and mother to my children.
5. I run because life is a marathon, not a sprint. My brother is always quoting this to me. Yes, I have finally listened. I know I need strength for this long, long road.