Running. Sprinting. Jogging. Track. Cross Country.

Running is a simple yet pure sport. It’s one of the few sports/activities that you can do almost anywhere, by yourself, with little to no equipment. You can run for 5 minutes, or for 5 miles. You can clear your mind, and just go blank for a while, something that I rarely can do if I’m not running. Or you can transcend to another place, and visualize an event, to help take your mind off of that insanely steep gradient that you’re about to conquer.

I used to be an avid runner back in high school, a long time ago. I miss running. Even though I was never blazing fast, I was a fan of the challenge. Very few sports allow you to visualize your progress so easily and to track your tangible advances. I enjoyed setting weekly challenges for myself. It was always me vs myself. My race specialties were 400-1600 meters, mid distance, yet there was also something about cross country at Holmdel Park that did it for me as well. Something about the fresh air, beautiful scenery, and the fact that the course was so damn difficult, that made me keep wanting to come back for more.

Most runners are masochists. They enjoy pain, and are always looking for more. In my peak running shape, I was 5’11, 138 lbs. I stopped running, and now I’m roughly 180 lbs and consider myself to be in good shape. Every time I try to run now, I get depressed, because I can’t go more than a few miles. In my hay day, I’d have long runs of 12-15 miles.

My father, over the course of his life, has run around 30 marathons. I have run zero. Someday, in the near future, I plan on running one, and hopefully, qualifying for the Boston Marathon.

Do you ever run? If so, what are your feelings towards the sport?