A Life Worth Running For

lewopschall
Jun 3, 2015
2 min read

As a girl who likes new beginnings my first year in college was an exciting time. I was living in a new state, meeting new people, taking new classes… basically I had a new life. There was one thing I missed though, sports.

The 18 years leading up to college I had always been involved in team sports which had daily practices. Now I had no daily routine dedicated to physical activity. Once I found my way to the gym on my college campus another question still had to be answered. What do I do now? So, I just started running.

Eventually I graduated from the indoor track (which is better than a treadmill but still not ideal) and moved to the road. Since that time, some seven years ago, running has remained an impactful part of my life… and here’s why.

Running is a place of zen. In the beginning it helped me deal with the stress of school as I would rip off my watch, leave my cell phone behind and become unplugged. It allowed me to re-center myself with time just for me. Still today some of my best thoughts, ideas and inspiration come from the time I am running.

Running has taught me anything is possible. Eventually I found myself more involved with the competitive side of the sport. My senior year of college I trained for my first half marathon and that year I also promised myself a full marathon would come shortly thereafter. It did. Running has taught me to push through pain and endure, and just when you don’t think you can go any further, you can… as long as you keep your feet moving. It’s tough, like life, but if you find the strength within you will be greatly rewarded with the best kind of high I know… a runner’s high.

In college I found myself spending a lot of time with the cross country runners. Occasionally I would go on runs with them. One of the boys on the team told me his deepest relationships were built from running. Now, I also know this to be true. Some of the strongest relationships I have in my life have been made over countless hours of pounding the pavement together. I’ve been able to share my hopes, fears, struggles and accomplishments, just as my friends have done with me.