Why we run (not because of medals, mostly).

An article from the Wall Street Journal cross my Facebook news feed, a few hours after watching a very exciting Boston Marathon. The Article "What do runners find at finish? Seahorses, guitars."
written by Kevin Helliker, about the motivations of runners to race. For Mr, Helliker it is a very simple formula.

Medals!

Pure and simple. Bling Bling.

Mr. Helliker talks to various race directors, and medal makers to get the full pulse of what running really is about.

Not really.
Not at all.
Not even close.

See, just to the right of my desk where I'm writing this, there is my wall of medals. 13 of them or so from the last 2 years.

Before I received each and every one of them, I ran a race. A marathon or a half marathon or a 10k. And with each and every race, there is a story. A few of them, I look at and they make me smile, some remind me of disappointment. And a few I've not looked at or touched since I gotten them. The experience connected to them is so powerful, that I can't really look at them or touch them, but I keep them anyway. Those are my Chicago Marathon medals. I literally hide them. And they are mine.

The motivations of a runner are a personal one.  A runner runs for a myriad of reasons.  Could be doing it for health, for a family or friend or a loved one for a charity, people overcoming struggles such as addiction or abuse. As a memorial for a loved one. Some are trying to physically and mentally improve themselves.  And some people run just for the joy or running, and to see how close to the limits they can take themselves..

I'm pretty there are sure there are a few of them are doing it for the size of a running medal. And if they are, bless their hearts, So what? Because they are out there, too. Suffering and fighting long miles and blisters and cramping and pain. For all the reasons listed above and more. Because you have to run the race. Every entry does, to get the medal.

And the great thing about runners is that we don't judge why anyone is out there running. Or why they're doing it.  When we run, we run together, and we cheer and encourage each other. And with every race it's about crossing the finish line. And that's something the WSJ article totally forgets.
Running is not a thing. It's not a commodity, and a medal means nothing without the race before it.

That how you get the medal.

You finish.

The Fear of Running.

This last few weeks, I've decided to run a fall marathon (hopefully Chicago, we'll see), and try to attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon.

I haven't tried to do an attempt in a few years, and it for various reason got pushed to the side for other events. But as I realized there was a certain element of trying to qualify for Boston.

It scares me to death. Yup. To Death.

It's an all or nothing investment, really. You train and train and train, for that one day, and something can go wrong, and that's it. Sure you can try to do again, but it's very hard on the psyche and the body to try to put in another attempt a few weeks later. It's mentally and emotionally draining. Marathons have ended in tears of disappointment.

So why try again? Because as afraid of it as I am, I know that it's where I'm supposed to be. It's what I have to face in order to get what I want. And it kind of excites me that it makes me afraid. It motivates me to run and train better. Turning this fear into a reward.

In running it's easy to forget why were doing things. It's gets warm again, races sneak up on us and we're back at it again. See old friends and back into the groove. We find those very easy comfort spots in running with distance, or a certain pace, or even a certain group of runners. And those comfort points can create stagnant runners.

 Make a plan. Not just for this year, a 2 year plan or 3 year plan. Where do you really want to be? What are your weaknesses? What are your strengths?  Don't just accept them and take them for granted, CHANGE them. Invest in your fears of running. Invest in yourself  And make running yours.

For 2015, I'm facing the fear. Who is going to join me?