Quandary – Health, Survival or... ?
Health?
Survival?
Do you read the “One More Mile” blog (http://anothermile.blogspot.com/) written by Akshaye? It’s a great blog. He has inspired me to write today’s blog. Read his current entry. It really got me to thinking. There are 2 shoe campaigns running currently that present two sides of our sport of running. One is a hard-core campaign explaining that running is just that. It has to be fast, solo and primitive. The other states that running can be a chat event. Running with a friend can catch you up and develop a new respect for them.
I listened to the 100th show of Phedippidations (www.steverunner.com). That was of a similar vein in part.
I started running at my Doctor’s insistence. I was fairly happy when I weighed 265 pounds and was not healthy. I knew that I shouldn’t be, but that is how the human psyche is.
I am happy now. I run a lot. I talk about my miles often and I won’t bore you with those today. I have realized many benefits to my running.
Before my first 5K race, I ran for my health! There is a lot of benefit to running. I have lost 60+ pounds, lowered my cholesterol, lowered my blood pressure, and generally feel great, both physically and mentally.
There has always been the debate of – Should I run competitively? Or just run for my health?
When I was asked by Coach Susan (http://www.irunformylife.blogspot.com/) to start this blog, I always thought that no one would be interested in my experiences. After all, I had followed Susan’s races and I was fascinated with what she was doing. I wanted to write about why I was running and where I should take it next.
My humble blog led to the blogs of others. There are a lot of blogs out there! I realized that there is a lot of experiences that I could draw from. People discuss their races, their training, their diet, when they practice, how they practice, and the list goes on and on!
Before I knew it, I had signed up for a 5K race. I enjoyed that race. I didn’t expect much from it, but I got a lot. One thing I learned was that there are a lot of people that do the very same thing that I do! It was a great, fun time and a wonderful social event!
The other thing was that I was told that I was not competitive enough. I have the ability, but chose not to use it. I should have left my friend behind, used more of my capacities and ran the best race of my life! I have been thinking about that ever since.
Since that race, I’ve signed up for a half-marathon. I have been training for that. I have found short hills, long hills; I’ve done intervals and I’ve started doing some long runs. Now that is a lot different than running for health.
This long-winded blog today basically asks the questions: Why do you run? What is your motivation to run? Do you feel that we need to allow our primitive selves out to conquer and run? Do you feel that running should be treated as a survival reaction or do you run for health?
I hope that this blog entry makes sense to all of you. If you hear a “Ow! Ow! Ow!” coming from my direction as I grip my forehead, you’ll know that I’m still thinking about it…
BTW… 16 days to my first half-marathon!
Survival?
Do you read the “One More Mile” blog (http://anothermile.blogspot.com/) written by Akshaye? It’s a great blog. He has inspired me to write today’s blog. Read his current entry. It really got me to thinking. There are 2 shoe campaigns running currently that present two sides of our sport of running. One is a hard-core campaign explaining that running is just that. It has to be fast, solo and primitive. The other states that running can be a chat event. Running with a friend can catch you up and develop a new respect for them.
I listened to the 100th show of Phedippidations (www.steverunner.com). That was of a similar vein in part.
I started running at my Doctor’s insistence. I was fairly happy when I weighed 265 pounds and was not healthy. I knew that I shouldn’t be, but that is how the human psyche is.
I am happy now. I run a lot. I talk about my miles often and I won’t bore you with those today. I have realized many benefits to my running.
Before my first 5K race, I ran for my health! There is a lot of benefit to running. I have lost 60+ pounds, lowered my cholesterol, lowered my blood pressure, and generally feel great, both physically and mentally.
There has always been the debate of – Should I run competitively? Or just run for my health?
When I was asked by Coach Susan (http://www.irunformylife.blogspot.com/) to start this blog, I always thought that no one would be interested in my experiences. After all, I had followed Susan’s races and I was fascinated with what she was doing. I wanted to write about why I was running and where I should take it next.
My humble blog led to the blogs of others. There are a lot of blogs out there! I realized that there is a lot of experiences that I could draw from. People discuss their races, their training, their diet, when they practice, how they practice, and the list goes on and on!
Before I knew it, I had signed up for a 5K race. I enjoyed that race. I didn’t expect much from it, but I got a lot. One thing I learned was that there are a lot of people that do the very same thing that I do! It was a great, fun time and a wonderful social event!
The other thing was that I was told that I was not competitive enough. I have the ability, but chose not to use it. I should have left my friend behind, used more of my capacities and ran the best race of my life! I have been thinking about that ever since.
Since that race, I’ve signed up for a half-marathon. I have been training for that. I have found short hills, long hills; I’ve done intervals and I’ve started doing some long runs. Now that is a lot different than running for health.
This long-winded blog today basically asks the questions: Why do you run? What is your motivation to run? Do you feel that we need to allow our primitive selves out to conquer and run? Do you feel that running should be treated as a survival reaction or do you run for health?
I hope that this blog entry makes sense to all of you. If you hear a “Ow! Ow! Ow!” coming from my direction as I grip my forehead, you’ll know that I’m still thinking about it…
BTW… 16 days to my first half-marathon!
posted by CewTwo at 5:56 PM
13 Comments:
Great thoughts. I run for many reasons myself. Some days it is about my health, some days I have that chat run with a friend, and other days it is about running faster and farther.
I couldn't be more proud! Thank you for the *credit*
I hope you do recognize that you are a GREAT source of motivation and inspiration for me. Support, too!
We'll both be running races soon. I can't wait to compare notes!
I like your thoughts (hope they don't hurt too much).
I started running because my family has a history of heart disease and I wanted to be the one that doesn't need bypass surgery.
Then I ran as a challenge. A 5K by age 40. Then a half marathon. Then a full marathon.
Now I just can't stop :-)
Thanks for mentioning my blog! I agree with you - its one of things I think about constantly... Why do I run?
I am not really sure I have a good answer. But the best thing is the answer keeps changing! And so I keep running. Good luck with your half.
hello what do you use to track the calories you burnt and distance you ran?
i am new to the running community. may i know what a PR is?
Hi Anonymous!
A PR is a personal record. I have only run one 5K race so far. My time in that event was 28:16. My PR for the 5K is 28:16. When I run my next 5K, I want to train to better that.
I used software that integrates recording information on both a Palm PDA and a PC. I heard of it on a nutrition pocast. Its called Calorie King and is available at http://www.calorieking.com/
It worked for me keeping the facts about what I was eating right in front of my face. It also lets you set a personal baseline and take weekly measurements to check your progress. It made my weight loss an easier task.
Now, just because Calorie King worked for me, does not mean it will work for you.
Google something like, "Weight Management Software," and then review what comes up. There is a lot of software, clubs, companies and people out there to assist you in your endeavor.
Every individual is unique and so should their approach to getting fit and healthy. Prepare to exercise and eat correctly. Its what you need to do!
See you on the run!
I've thought a lot about why I run. I think I like to be physically challenged. I also love that I feel better at 41 than I did at 21.
Running has taught me so much. I feel stronger, I work harder, I'm more self-motivated, more alive, and happier than I've been in years.
thank you for your explanation!
apart from the software you mentioned, do you carry any device to keep track of the distance you run, your speed/ heart rate or calories you burnt during your run?
also, where do you get podcasts from?
good luck for your half marathon! (:
Anonymous,
I do carry a device when I run. It is a Garmin Forerunner 205. It is a GPS device you wear on your wrist. An expensive initial investment, but it has many uses. It will track all kinds of information. The 205 does not track heart rate information though. You can investigate it here - https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=348
Initially, I used iTunes (from Apple - http://www.apple.com/itunes/). Download the iTunes software and do a search through the search engine. Now that I have an established list of podcasts that I like, I get most of the current shows from their websites.
My blog also includes links to other blogs of people that like to run. That is what is so much fun about the running blog community. You can find so much information given so freely and openly that you can't help but benefit from the information.
Thanks for the good wishes for the upcoming half-marathon (13 days) - I have a long run of 13.5 miles today that I am preparing for now...
Why do I run?
*because I am able
*becuase it makes me feel great
* because I go crazy if I don't
*I'm competitive
*I like ice cream
I could go on and on...
The bottom line is I love to run. And it has made such a difference in my life
tag.. ur next!
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