fun run

You know those people who run for fun? Don't you think they're crazy?

Honestly, how can anyone consider running fun? A frantically pumping heart, a dry mouth, burning lungs, & numb legs sound more like torture to me. As if running weren't torture enough, there are people who pay to run. They pay: "here's my money, can I run in a circle with you? I get a t-shirt?! Totally worth it!" NO.

For the past several years I have openly mocked my friends who run for fun. What weirdos! I chuckled as they groaned & rubbed sore muscles after a 5K. I laughed at their mud-caked bodies & sore muscles after the Warrior Dash. I winced & shook my head when they ran a half-marathon. Okay, so running is their thing, but it's definitely not mine.

Then, one day it happened: I agreed to run a 5K.

Insane, I know, but there I was 6 weeks out &, admittedly, completely unfit. So I did what any intelligent college graduate would do: I set up a schedule to start running. Of course, initially I planned to run the 1.5 mile trek through my neighborhood 3 days a week, but that was swiftly shaved down to 2 days a week. And only if the weather was good. Remember, I'm not a runner. I resolved that I was running to stay healthy & to get to know my friend better . . . the fact that sweets would be waiting at the finish line was also a fantastic motivation.

December 15, I ran my first 5K: the Candy Cane Course. I met my goal of finishing under 33 minutes (32:48 to be precise) & celebrated my milestone with milk & cookies.

And then, somehow, I kept running. Not uber consistently, but at least 1-2 times a week as long as there was good weather. In fact, I even began checking the weather so I could run.

I became what I had mocked for so long: a runner.

I still can't say that I love running. In fact, during the entirety (32:39) of our first 5K for this year (the Sweetheart Shuffle--she chose me over her boyfriend!), my friend & I groaned, "why do we do this again?" Our answer? Time together, the crazy costumes, & the sweets. We're planning on completing all 6 races in the "Holiday Fun Run" series this year. Of course, we're also trying to convince a few more friends to join us. I can't wait to have spend some quality time with my friend as we run for our sweets.

Who knows, maybe by the end of it all I'll realize, like all the other crazies, that running is fun.