Joy of Running

This morning I finished my 5 miles around 7:40 am and was having a blast!! I have ran the first 2 miles solo and met-upwith my new running buddy Thuy and did another 3 together. I have foundThuy on Craigslist who just recently moved to San Jose from Dallas. Glad that I can be his new friend in town and offer him the same friendship that I had received from Chris two years ago when I first moved to L.A.

Thuy and I were talking about running and hiking, and I told him that I could never stand walking/hiking for 11 miles like he did at Big Basin yesterday, but I can run 26.2 miles comfortably with huge smile! And just to think that I have only picked up running couple years ago. Why did I start? Good questions!

I started running not because of wanting to lose weight, compete or relieve stress, however I later found all these benefits of running. I went to a Team and Training info-meeting wanting to volunteer, and found myself signed up a race and fundraising 30 minutes later. That was the chapter one of my running story and I got addicted to running and races.

Everyone runs differently, different reasons, different motivation, different goals, different techniques and different forms, but I think the joy and gratification are universal. To me, there is nothing more stress relief than a good long run; I have found myself smiling ear to ear after 12 mile runs in pouring April shower.

I have never been a very athletic person, and my only exercising activity was a round of 18 holes on weekend, and bragging after the games. Running is different, I don’t need expensive equipments to run and I don’t need to wake up at 5:50am to make tee time reservation. I don’t need buddies to run with, and I can put on my shoes and go out have a good run rain or shine. I can run in any city and I can run in any distance as long as I feel good about it.

Without alarm, my body wakes myself up at 5:30am, and when I finish my morning run with discipline I find myself all fueled up for whatever ahead of me that day. At work, I feel more energetic than Red Bull can bring, and I am happier, healthier and definitely more fit. And the best part is I can eat whenever I want and never have to worry about the extra calories. But at the same time, I learn to eat healthier and stay away from empty calories. When you log in 20 mile a week, you probably won’t need to worry about your weight.

Through running, I come to enjoy the solo moment with myself, and the time that I actually don’t think of anything. There were times that my mind was clustered with projects, deadlines, little argues with colleagues…etc, but 20 minutes into the run I forgot about all the issues. The sense of accomplishment after each marathon race have also made me discovered how strong I am, not just strong legs and torso, but also mentally and emotionally stronger.

Just shuffle one foot in front of the other and soon you will find yourself becomes a runner!