Thursday, June 7, 2007

I Wonder Why a Good Run Feels So Good...

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I'm a runner. I've been a runner for about three years now and I still have the bug. I still get up every morning looking forward to pounding the pavement (or the treadmill).

I think running feels good for several reasons. It's a chance to escape reality for a brief time. I can blast my iPod and rock out to "Sweet Home Alabama" or disco along to The Hues Corporation. I can think about my upcoming day or about the funny thing that happened the night before. I like being in my own world for forty-five minutes. There's something almost hypnotic about the repetitive motion of running and before I know it, the time has flown by.

As an ex-athlete, I love pushing my limits. I love being surprised by what my body can do and how much it can achieve. It was a great lesson for me early on in life that I was strong and could push myself to do things that at first seemed impossible. I still love this. I love approaching a big hill and at first thinking, "Uh, absolutely no way is that happening," and then kicking that hill's butt. It makes me feel like Rocky!

One of the things that feels most great about a good run is that the entire time I feel like I am burning a million calories. I ate a Twinkie yesterday? Who cares, I'm running it off! Not only are you accomplishing something physically by pushing your body, you are teaching yourself that you can do it -- and the big bonus is that you can eat Cheetos for dinner!

Sometimes the best feeling is the feeling after the run. Seriously. There are days when I suck wind and have to stop in the middle of that big hill because my asthma is threatening to drop me right there and never come back to pick me up. Even on the days when the run is fantastic and I feel like I could run for hours, it feels great to finish. I'm sweating like a buffalo and my lungs are burning, but I've really accomplished something. What a great way to start the day!

3 comments:

MissRancher said...

When I read blogs from this account in my blogreader, it doesn't show the name of who posted it - but I always know which ones are yours as soon as I see 'cheetos'. Ha!!!

Wicked M said...

Ah, yes, I cannot hide my Cheetos addiction. It's difficult to hide your identity when you love the Cheetos as much as I do!

Anonymous said...

My entry was almost "I wonder why sitting on the couch, staring at the shiny moving noisy box, feels so good." Now I'm glad it wasn't. Although moving from my bed to your workout is also ironic [sigh].