Top 4 Reasons Why I Run

The past few months, I have spent a lot of time thinking "I should really get outside and run some."  The past few months, I have spent very little time actually running.

It's been about a year since I have been on a regular running schedule.  Most of that has to do with Owen - I would much rather stay home and play with him than go outside in the [fill in unsatisfactory weather here].  When we lived in the Boston area, I never felt like I had enough time with him.  We would wake up at the crack of dawn, drive almost an hour to get to the parking garage that was about 9 miles from our apartment, then get home after 6:30 and deal with dinner and bedtime.  I had roughly 3 hours a day during the week to enjoy him.  It wasn't enough and I couldn't bring myself to take 10-30 minutes out of that to go for a run.  Now that we live in Indiana, we have a much nicer balance.  Our mornings are less hectic and our evenings are much longer.  I would not feel guilty going for a short run every now and then.  My problem now is that there are so few places to run.  Sidewalks in Newburgh only exist in neighborhoods.  You either need to drive somewhere to run (which seems ridiculous), run the same mile route over and over and over until you die from boredom, or take your life in your hands and run on the shoulder of some precarious roads.  Put a little polar vortex sauce on top and this is a recipe for zero motivation to run.  While struggling through my first mile in weeks, I tried to list the things that I like about running that might help me get back in the swing of things.  The Oatmeal's list is also very inspiring.  Complete with Kraken slaying.

1.  Running is free.  You can go out and buy expensive running shoes, compression shorts, iPod arm bands, and all sorts of other gear to make running more pleasant/comfortable.  I have been lost in City Sports many times gently caressing the fancy running tights that promise to keep me warm, wick moisture, stabilize, and so on.  But, really, you could also go out there and look like my favorite never-nude:

http://www.tobiasfunke.com/tag/never-nude

There may be some chafing and people might point and stare but the point is you can run in whatever you want.  I don't like the perception that you have to have to have a (large) disposable income in order to exercise.  Crossfit and gym memberships are great if you can afford it, but I think we need to portray exercise and health living as something that can be done with all budgets.  While running isn't always "a favorite" for people, it's great exercise that doesn't have to break the bank.

2.  Running makes me feel better.  We all have days where we feel groggy or lazy or slow.  Running gives me more energy.  I never feel better about running before I run because I have to dress myself, which is hugely inconvenient.  But once I'm out there, I feel good.  Adrenaline is pumping and I'm happy to be staring at something other than a computer screen.  After running, I am usually in a better mood.

There's lots of science that goes in to explaining all of this, but I'm okay with just saying that running makes me feel better.  Unless I'm running on a treadmill.  Then I hate it.

3.  Running gets me outside.  I love to be outdoors, but sometimes it's hard to get myself off my butt to go outside.  Being a former mass transit user, I was guaranteed at least some time outside every day.  We lived a half mile from a T station, so if nothing else, I got a half mile walk any time I wanted to go somewhere.

Now, the only time I'm required to get outside is when I run an errand and have to walk through the parking lot to get to the store.  Especially now that I work from home.  I could feasibly spend multiple days in a row without ever stepping foot outside (this has happened).

4.  There is no number 4.  I just like even numbers.

Hopefully this list will help.  You know what I know will help?  40+ degree weather.  Have I mentioned I don't like winter?