I stood at the start lining, freezing. I thought to myself,
“Why is it this cold in DC, in April?”
I overheard a group behind me. They were pumping each other
up and yelling, “#Let’s do this”, “# YOLO”, “#Cherry Blossom 10M”, “#You can’t
catch us”. I knew I had to separate myself from this group, fast.
The Cherry Blossom 10Miler is one of the popular running
races held in DC each spring. The field is a little under 18,000 runners. As I
looked around at the sea of people all shivering with their hands stuck under
their arms to keep warm I noticed the variety of people. (Including a woman who
had a shirt on that read, “If you’re behind me you didn’t train either”. Yep,
not running behind her either.)
Anyone who thinks all runners are tall and skinny has never
watched a road race. Runners come in all shapes and sizes and that’s why
running is such a great form of exercise. Every race has the same three types
of runners: the expert, (those who actually have a chance of winning the race),
the “this ain’t my first rodeo”, (those who collect finishers medals and could line
their driveway with race bib numbers) and the first timers, (those who have
never run a race before and this is their first rodeo). The most mysterious part about these groups is
that you can’t just look at someone and know which group they fall in. The girl
who is all decked out with arm warmers, the most expensive running watch and
the fanciest running shoes isn’t necessarily an elite runner. She could just be
a really slow runner with an affinity towards good gear. The same goes for the
guy who looks like he may be 25 lbs. overweight, wearing a cotton t-shirt and
basketball shorts may just be the same guy who blows past you at mile 9. I
admit that spotting these types of people and trying to put them in the right
group is one of the ways I distract myself while running.
Another mystery about running is your time. You want to know
the truth? No one cares. No one cares about your time except for you. Unless
you have a chance of actually winning the race and can respond to the question,
“So how did you do?” with the answer of, “I came in 1st Place !”, no one cares.
This is especially true when asked the question by people who don’t run. They
have no idea what constitutes a good time or a bad time. This can be a good
thing on the days you have a really bad race and it takes you an hour to run 1
mile. “That’s great, good job!” (said by non-runner)
So now that I’ve unraveled a few of the mysteries of running
I’m going to tell you why I think you should run. There are plenty of reasons
why you should lace up and start running. As I ran the race today I came up
with the following list.
Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Run:
10. You finally have a real reason to stay in on Friday night.
“Sorry I can’t go out, I have to do a long run tomorrow morning.” And if you
have gone out the night before running is a great way to get rid of a hangover.
9. You burn about 100-110 calories per mile that you run.
Which means you can burn that medium sized bag of French fries off in about 3
miles. My point? Running makes you look at your food choices differently.
8. No equipment needed. All you need is a decent pair of
running shoes. Running shoes don’t need to be expensive. Once you’re fitted
properly for the shoes that are right for your feet at a running store you can
find lots of affordable options on line. There are always new styles coming out
and the older style will get marked down. Never have I ever overheard at a
starting line, “Oh my God, did you see her shoes? They are so last summer!”
Runners don’t say things like this.
7. Road races provide the perfect opportunity for your
creative friends to make signs and cheer you on as you run by. Spectators are
an important part to any race!
6. Not only do you get FREE water during the race but once
you cross the finish line it’s a banana lover’s dream. You can take as many as
you want. Actually you could walk up with a giant bag and dump an entire box of
bananas in your bag and no one would stop you.
5. Wearing your bib number into your Walgreens gives you a
free pass for looking bad, smelling bad and having salt all over your face.
4. Running teaches you short cuts. Even in a neighborhood
that I’ve lived in for years, I always manage to find a new way to get to
somewhere when I decided to run a new route.
3. Running keeps your ticker ticking. Cardio exercise helps
your heart pump stronger and helps your muscles utilize oxygen more
efficiently.
2. Running provides endless ways to continue to push your
self farther. A 5K can lead to a 10K to a half marathon to a marathon. Each
race provides opportunities to improve your speed, meet new people and explore
a new area or trail.
1. Because if you don’t push your self once in a while to go
a little bit further you will never really know what you’re capable of
accomplishing.
In addition to these benefits I listed above, I should also
mention the mental benefits. Running helps me clear my head. I typically don’t
listen to music if I run outside. There are so many things to listen to and
look at that I find music to be more of a distraction. I do my best thinking
when I’m running because there is nothing else competing for my attention.
Running helps me focus, helps me distress and provides me with an opportunity
for inspiration. (Example: I wrote this entire blog in my head while running
today’s race.)
