4 Down 96 To Go - Why Do I Run?

Today's Mileage = 3 miles

I am on my way to the mountains for 4 days. I look forward to running around Pinecrest Lake (about 4.5 miles) in the fresh morning air as the sun rises and all the campers are asleep.

There are many reasons why I run and some of them are stronger than others on any given day. The paragraph above is often one of the major reasons why I run. Other times it is the feeling of being in better shape, watching the sun rise, feeling less guilty about eating that extra bowl of ice cream (I had three helpings last night), getting to feel the endorphins kick in when you least expect it, or sometimes it's just plain fun.

According to the August 2006 Runner's World (p. 48), "University of Michigan researchers found that women who work out to lose weight are less committed to exercise than those who do it for social benefits, stress reduction, or enjoyment of the activity". Since I run solo 99% of the time I probably don't do it for the social benefits, but the other two definitely fit.

I would not recommend running to someone trying to lose weight, rather I would recommend running to someone that wants to enjoy the fresh air and great feeling of getting a good workout at the same time. It just so happens that weight loss is a repercussion... as long as we stay away from that 3rd bowl of ice cream.