Why Run?

This is my blog about training for 5Ks and, eventually, a half marathon. I never thought I'd become yet another running blogger; running blogs (and blogs in general) are a dime a dozen these days, so what new could I possibly add to all of that? But, as I was thinking about my new foray into running and my progress so far, I realized my thoughts about it are richer than I thought they would be, so I figured...oh, why not?

 Here's my story.

 Why would someone who has never liked running decide to train for a half marathon? It all started when I decided, on July 1st, to register for The Color Run here in Milwaukee. It just seemed like it would be fun, and cool thing to say I did. I'd only have weeks to prepare which wouldn't be nearly enough time for me to properly train for a 5K...but The Color Run is supposed to be fun and I'll be proud of myself for trying my best and not walking the whole thing. As I started to prepare for it, I began to wonder: why stop there? Why not challenge myself even more?

 I know that doesn't really answer why I'm doing this. As the title of this blog suggests, I don't run because I just loooooove running so much. I'm doing all this because I want to feel that sense of accomplishment. I feel like that's been missing in my adult life: that feeling you get from setting a goal, working really hard, and then ACHIEVING it. It's so hard to find that in the adult life, where the emphasis is on fulfilling your responsibility and taking care of yourself. No one is standing in line to congratulate you just for doing your job, paying your bills on time, finishing 4 books this month, or any of the little things that might feel like accomplishments to you. Who cares? Unless you're an Olympic athlete or breakout business star, it's hard to get praise and acknowledgement that was showered upon us when we achieved in school athletics and academics. I know that it's supposed to be enough to accomplish something for yourself...but let's face it, we're human, and we're hardwired to crave social validation and praise from our peers. I want to accomplish something that others can appreciate.

 Also, I want to pose a challenge to myself and others. I want to challenge the Hanna who said she could never do something like this because she isn't good at running and hates it, the Hanna who thinks she's not athletic and isn't disciplined enough to achieve something like this. And hopefully, in case someone actually reads this one day, I can challenge them to be better than themselves, too - maybe they will in turn be inspired to do the thing that the naysaying voice inside constantly scoffs at. That's my story. I'm not trying to force myself to love running, I just want to achieve the goal that I have set for myself of running in the Kenosha half marathon in the Spring. If I happen to fall in love with running, that's great. If I happen to totally transform into a fitness guru who eats healthy and works out religiously, that's great too. But those aren't my goals. Right now, I'm just focused on achieving my goal, proving myself wrong, and being better than the person I was before July 1st.