My friends don't understand why I willingly wake up at 530 to go run. They get frustrated when I can't go out on a Saturday night because I have my long run the next morning. They think that what I do is crazy, while it's actually the one thing that keeps me from going crazy.
When was the last time you spent a significant amount of time alone, thinking about life? This may be a difficult question to answer for some people, but for a runner the answer is almost always, "this morning". You see, running is more than physical exercise for me. Running is my escape. Running is more than burning calories, it's about tackling life's problems. And when I have a problem too big to handle, well, that's what group runs are for.
Group runs are like therapy. While discussion can sometimes be surface-level, it is not out of the ordinary for us to tackle life's major challenges. I know that on my group runs I can expect plenty of support and encouragement, but it rarely ever has anything to do with my running.
Plenty of people ask why I run and I never know what to tell them. I say that it has changed my life, but can't explain how. One thing is for sure, though, I know i'll never stop.
--Special thanks to Kristin, Kevin, Eric and Phillip for all the "therapy".
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