Today is National Running Day. If you didn't get outside today, do it tomorrow. If you can't do it tomorrow. Do it this week-end. Grab a friend, your sister, your dog, your iPod, whatever and MAKE IT HAPPEN. We all run for different reasons - our health, our sanity, our love for the outdoors, the list goes on an on. To celebrate this inspirational day, RWM will be giving away a *OISELLE prize package that includes a pair of Lori shorts in color indigo and a 'Running is Elemental' t-shirt in color dusk. To win this awesome set, all you need to do is share with us why you run. What is that makes you lace up and walk out that door? Comment below or post to RWM on Facebook. The winner will be picked at random at the end of day tomorrow, June 7th. Best of luck. And happy running!
*These are women's running clothes but, gentlemen, they would make a great gift and would get you major credit for "getting it" so make sure to enter, too!
I run for so many reasons.....to keep my sanity, to keep in shape, to make (and keep!) friends....
ReplyDeleteI started running in 9th grade because I wasn't competitive enough to play softball or basketball at the high school level. I got lost during my first cross country race. But I wasn't lost to running. A whole new world opened up for me. I would run in college, pregnant, on vacation. It was a done deal. I run to keep my sanity. I had 3 kids in 4.5 years and a traveling husband. I would run everyday if I could but fear injury. Running is my rainbow on a cloudy day. Running likely prevents me from taking an antidepressant. There is nothing like the feeling after a run....any run. ACCOMPLISHMENT. For me all life's challenges can be conquered after a run, when before life seemed hopeless. And for me....running is better then the BEST Pinot Grigio in the world.
ReplyDeleteLove the responses already, btw. I run for the time on the road, just me and my thoughts, or ticking away the miles while chatting with a friend. The places my feet can take me, the way I can experience another culture by running through their streets. The connection I feel with my father, also a runner, and the fond memories I have of biking alongside him while he was training for a marathon. Then there are times when I don’t think I love running but I get out there anyway. I get rained on, trip and fall, feel every ache and pain, but somehow put one foot in front of the other and return to where I started from, feeling like my most powerful self.
ReplyDeleteI actually dont really LOVE running. I say this all the time to the people around me, and although they take most of my "off-the-cusp" comments with a grain of salt, I'm not sure they fully believe me because I running and signing up for races...but to say it again...I don't love running!
ReplyDeleteTwo half marathons deep and it still stands, I run for the feeling after the run!!!! The "runners high", sense of accomplishment, pride,strength, etc., but not because I love the feeling of running. Ohh, and of COURSE, to listen to my iPod!!!! Happy running all!
Running keeps me fit, it keeps me balanced, it keeps sane, it keeps me connected, it keeps me focused, it keeps me HAPPY! I never used to enjoy running until I really started training and now it has become second nature to me, like breathing.
ReplyDeleteI made the decision to start running less than two years ago when I signed up for my first race (which was a half marathon) and the only reason was that I just wanted to see if I could do it. I'm with Jewels when I say that I don't like "to run", but I honestly do love running. I discovered that I love running because the running community is filled with some of the most interesting and encouraging people I have ever met. Also, I am now in the best shape of my life and I keep getting stronger. Being able to eat A LOT is another big reason why I run!
ReplyDeleteI like to run to drop a few pounds, to be healthy, to keep sane, to listen to music, to enjoy a few minutes without thinking about everything else that is going on in my life.
ReplyDeleteI started running in 7th grade and then continued to run in high school when my dad bribed me by saying that he would buy me a car, ha. I continued to run in college and became "addicted" and fell in love with the sport. I have made so many great friends from the teams that I have been on. I love just going out for a run, exploring trails and new roads, getting outside and enjoying the outdoors, running the my puppy, socializing with a friend for a long run, etc. I run because it makes me feel happy and healthy :)
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of hyperactive and running settles me down. It's how I explore new places - often getting lost, but then I have stories to tell! Running is how I press "reset" when something bad or strange or disorienting has occurred. After 20+ years (and I'm only 32!) running just feels like home.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to Maura Adams, the winner of the Oiselle prize package. Maura, if you are out there, please email rebecca.trachsel@yahoo with your address info. Thanks to everyone for entering.
DeleteOf all my childhood nicknames, the one I resented the most was “Butterfly.” Did Dad honestly think it would comfort me to hear that I was a work in progress, that my gawky teenage body was merely the pupa stage of something extraordinary? At the age of sixteen, I decided to take up running to improve my skinny legs and graceless figure. A quarter of a mile in, my lungs burned, my sides ached, and I was tempted to quit. For some reason, I pressed on and witnessed a personal transformation. I grew slim and muscular and achieved a sense of confidence which carried into my academics, vocation, and relationships. I met the love of my life and, when I saw the reflection of a glowing bride in my mirror, told myself that surely this is what Dad meant when he said I’d become a butterfly. Married bliss soon gave way to a ruthless schedule and the constant demands of caring for babies. Running shoes were shoved in the back of my closet, for I convinced myself that I was too busy to do anything other than survive sleepless nights and exhausting days with toddlers. My chrysalis was dark and lonesome. Following my last pregnancy, I decided to make time for running again. Not only did I shed my pregnancy pounds, but I regained the stamina, peace, and confidence I thought I’d lost forever. Before long, I had joined a local racing team and developed camaraderie with these complete strangers whose enthusiasm for running was contagious. During my long runs, my creativity awakens, and I am invigorated for the challenges of homeschooling my five children. This past week, the kids and I watched a fascinating emergence of four Painted Lady butterflies from their cocoons. The first one was entangled in its own silk. It struggled to escape from the confines of its cocoon and ended up with a torn wing. “That could have been me,” I thought. The next one was graceful and beautiful with its intricate patterns and strong wings. It hardly seemed possible that this exquisite creature started as an ugly caterpillar and passed through weeks of obscurity in its lonely chrysalis. When I take time to escape with my own imagination and relish the gift of grace and speed, I feel a lot like that butterfly. Last year I earned my first medal in a 10K. The one who showed the greatest pride and the least surprise was Dad. He knew all along that I could fly.
ReplyDeleteI run for the silence. The silence in my head and body, enjoying the silence of the early morning, remembering the silence when the day gets crazy. it's all about the quiet time for me.
ReplyDeleteI run in the early morning before the craziness of my day with 4 kids begins... it give me energy to give them my best.
ReplyDeleteI run for the endorphin high, the escape to get outside and feel the wind and smell the air and of course for exercise. Sometimes I run with music, but sometimes I prefer to run without my ipod so that I can listen to the birds or other sounds of nature along the way. It can be peaceful and a great way to make me feel centered again. No matter what state of mind I am in before the run (sometimes great, somteimes not so great), I am always in a improved state of mind afterwards. Its a release and an easy way to feel good about myself and about anyone else afterwards.
ReplyDeleteI run because it takes away frustrations and elevates good moods even higher. And so I can feel strong.
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