Why do you run?
I’ve been spending a lot of time running and, inevitably, asking myself why. A few years back, I was asking myself the same question and put together my answer in a HOKA-inspired commercial.
Shot on Fuji X-H2S & SIRUI lenses
This time around, I put my thoughts into a note to share. This is why I run.
Does the idea of signing up for a race excite you? Not because of the crowds, or the noise, the medal you get at the end, but because it means you have a set routine every morning for the next four months.
Is it because carbs no longer are the enemy in your diet - they become core to your well being? What was once a naughty whisper in your ear saying “have one more slice of that pizza” feels entirely innocent now.
Is it so you can tell your family, friends, and random strangers how many miles you ran that morning while they pretend to care? To my wife Shayna, when you read this - thanks for your patience while I divulge every unnecessary detail about what my Garmin watch captured each morning as soon as I walk in the door.
Do you run for the experience of waking up an extra hour early just hoping you’ll pee enough times so you don’t have to go behind a tree on a busy trail? Hoping that extra slice of pizza doesn’t come back to haunt you in a mean way and you need to duck into the closest gas station bathroom, or worse - leave your underwear behind in the woods along the trail.
Does training for a race give you the extra time in your day to catch up on all your podcasts, until eventually you run out of recommendations and find yourself listening to ancient stories of paranormal activity surrounding the pyramids on what sounds to have been recorded on an iPod 5G from 2012. I’m looking at you Cliff Dunning.
Does anyone else get immense satisfaction from being able to finish a run that crosses 16 busy roads without stopping just because you’ve played enough frogger as a kid to time the cars and lights so you don’t ever stop? To all the drivers I’ve pissed off and near accidents I’ve caused, that’s my bad.
I run for the mornings where you don’t want to get out of bed, but you give yourself no choice. The runs where you can turn around a mile early, but you don’t. The runs that prove to yourself you can keep going when your body or mind don’t want to. The runs that silence the noise around you.
