.discovering why I run.

I love running. (Continue reading before you read into that too much). I've had to ask myself lately why I do it. Why do I spend hours a week practicing throwing one foot in front of the other over and over again? It's the discovery.

Why do I continue? Why do I try to run faster? And longer? Running for me is my analogy of life. I know it is cheesy and cliche. But sometimes cheesy and cliche works.

I learn about life and God by running.

I learn that going up hills is hard and tiring, but there is always a top to those hills. Sometimes the top is blind, and you just have to trust that there is a top coming, sometimes the top is visible and that makes it easier to get up the hill. And always, when I get to the top of a hill, I am stronger because of it.

Sometimes the road is flat and long and maybe even a bit boring. It is here that I have to look for the beauty. It is in these times that I forget that I am running and am truly joyful to be alive.

I learn that cheering changes everything. Having someone beside me encouraging me or someone at the finish line with their arms open, waiting for me is a motivator. Running is exhausting alone. It is lonely and requires so much more effort.

I learn about perseverance. Sometimes, (usually at kilometer 18) I want to quit. It is here that I listen to those cheers. Here it is a moment by moment choice to keep running. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. This is where all the training proves worth it. Previous experience tells me that it is possible to finish. I can go on. If it's a new distance, previous experience tells me that I have pushed myself further before, and it is possible to push again.

I learn when to stop. Resting is a valuable part of training. I need time to restore.

I learn to be thankful - thankful for a Creator who has made a playground for me to run in, and thankful for a Creator that has made me to run.

That's why I run. It's a reminder of what brings me joy. Trials will end and will make me stronger. Beauty can be found in the everyday. Community is energizing. Lessons learned make new experiences more valuable. Resting provides new perspective. Thankfulness makes it less about me and more about the One who has made me.

.this is why I run.