Why running?

I hated running at school. I hated the cold, I hated the pain, I hated the fact I could barely keep up with the slow, fat kids but most of all I hated running because I wanted to be bloody good at it. And I wasn't.


I've always enjoyed watching athletics. I can remember watching the first London Marathon on the TV as a kid. Every year after that, I would watch the coverage and tell myself "one day, I'll do it". I was right.


I said I was crap at running at school. I did have my moments. Usually on cooler, overcast days, with a fresh breeze in the air, and a low pollen count. I should have twigged something wasn't right when I clocked the best 400m time for our PE group (which was double my 100m time, run the week before in blistering sunshine, after which I collapsed fighting for breath), with seemingly little effort. I was 17 the day after my asthma was diagnosed. I wonder to this day, if it had been spotted earlier, could I have enjoyed distance running as much as I do these days?


I took up running in my mid-twenties as a way to keep fit. Since then, I've grown to love it. If illness or injury prevents me from going out, I get grumpy. I try to organise my day around a running session, not the other way around. It's easy to get addicted to. As well as the natural hormone release contributing to a feeling of well-being, for me, there's the feeling of self-improvement. Every time I run a route quicker, I don't just feel pleased with myself, it makes me want to go out and run it even more quicker. I like being able to say that I can run for miles; not from the perspective of belittling anyone who can't. I don't really care what anyone else can or can't do. No, I'm an asthmatic, exercise induced asthmatic at that, and one with dodgy joints. I might not be skinny, and I might not win any races. But I can run for miles. It's a sense of achievement that I personally feel proud of.


But I still want to do it quicker than last time ;-)