Why I Run

As my inaugural post, I thought I'd start off with one of my newer hobbies - running.  This is especially timely, as I'll be running my first 5K next weekend.  I'll be participating in the Color Run, which isn't timed, so it doesn't really count in my mind.  However, it's the first time I'll be involved in any sort of organized running event, so it's still exciting to me.  Plus, you get covered in colorful powder, and I can get on board with that!

Now, if you know me, this may confuse you.  For most of my life, running has been one of my least favorite forms of exercise.  So why do I run, you ask?  There's a variety of reasons I started, and keep running, so here they are.

Let's start with the most obvious - exercise is healthy.  Life expectancy is always increasing due to awesome advances in medicine and science.  If I'm going to live for a hundred years or so, I'd like to enjoy all that time.  I want to be able to take care of myself and keep doing the things I love.  Sure, by the time I'm 100 they may be able to transfer my "consciousness" into a robot body or whatever, but the idea of that weirds me out, so I better take care of the body I have now.

Of course, there are plenty of ways to exercise, so why run?  Turns out, a lot of forms of exercise require some sort of equipment.  For running, you just need your feet.  Well that and a pair of shoes.  I'm a very casual runner, so I don't need, or want, to have all the latest running gadgets and gear.  I have a pair of running shoes, but not the kind that cost hundreds of dollars.  They don't give me blisters or anything, so I think that's good enough.  If I became a serious runner, I might have to spend a little more on shoes.  But for now, running is easily one of the cheapest forms of exercise I can do.

Here's the most important reason:  Running burns more calories per unit of time than just about anything.  Swimming is also up there - think Michael Phelps and his 10,000 calorie training diet.  However, I suck at swimming even more than I suck at running, and I don't want to deal with pools and chlorine in my hair, etc.  The problem with life is that food is delicious.  I want to be able to eat yummy things, and sometimes I want to eat more food than I should.  By running, I can eat more food and not get fat from it.  That counts as a win in my book!