Why I Love The Run – Reason #301

Life is made up of titles. I am a mother.

A colleague.

An employee.

A daughter.

A writer.

A funds raiser.

A marathoner.

A friend.

With these titles come responsibility, obligation and a strong sense of identity. These titles are easy to recognize and easy to apply. And they help define how others see me. Good or bad, they form the reality in which we see the world.

When I run, however, these titles withdraw from my mind. No longer do I feel characterized in such a way. At that moment, on that mile, I have no responsibility to anyone who might attach a label. There is no duty.

As these titles are stripped away, I breathe deeply. I feel free to be me, the person I am at the core. I am not hiding behind or bound by a lucid description.

In a rather exotic way, running forces me to pull apart the outer shell of myself and look inside. Running forces me to see who I am without the murkiness of any societal or self-imposed portrayal.

This is but one reason why I love the run.