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Statistically, most people start running for weight loss, which is my story. Anyone out there start from an early age? Parental pressure? S.O. get you into it? Near death experience? Tell.
I started running to stay in shape. I was in the military and was tested once year, and the test was running. But now, I don't need to run. I run because I want to. I've tried to quit, but I just end up wanting to run even more. Most people think running is a healthy activity, but is it healthy when it becomes an obsession? My whole social life revolves around the next weekend running event that I'll attend. I'm not fast enough to win any awards, but I get an occasional door prize. But there are many other running addicts that I can talk to about this addiction. Running has become more important than work. If I couldn't run because of work, I'd have to find another job, or another way to make a living.
A day with a run, or a couple of runs, is the only way I know how to live. This addiction controls me. I cannot function properly until my craving is fulfilled. It consumes my life. I don't feel right until get what I need. If I'm depressed, a fix instantly improves my mood. If I'm mad, it quells the rage. When anxious, it calms me, when I can't think clearly, it clears my mind. If I can't satisfy my hunger, my addiction suppresses the appetite. I use it to handle all my problems.
I hated running as a teen. back then I was a swimmer. I couldn't run because of asthma, I would start out at full speed and be falling over wheezing before the first quarter mile lap was finished. Since then I learned what causes my asthma and can control it now, and have learned to run differently. My parents didn't want me to exert myself in any way, becasue of couple of times when asthma attacks put me in the hospital.
It was not for wieght control. I was 125 when I started running, and I 140 now. I gained weight when I become a regular runner.
I initially started running x-country in high school to stay in shape for soccer. My hs soccer coach would make us run for 2 wks before we even touched a soccer ball because he was so frustrated with our level of fitness. As a result, many of us joined the x-country team. I was not fast, but I was consistent.
In college, I stopped running and playing soccer, the weight piled on with the increased consumption of crappy food and alcohol. My junior year, I decided to slim down and started running 2 mi/day. When I graduated, I moved to a small mountain town in SW Colorado that is an outdoor enthusiast's dream. I kept running, hiking, biking, skiing. My lifestyle was amazing.
I later moved to Oklahoma for a job and that is where I started entering races, thinking about time, following a training regimen. Now, I am obsessed. Running defines me. When asked what my hobbies are, running is at the top of the list. Because I run, the list is short.
My day is not complete without a run. I am not the same person if I have not run.
Like niCk I'm tested once a year for the military, but our tests aren't anything people needed to train for, which is kind of sad in my head. This year my friend was lamenting that her running buddy was going to be in Italy on a fellowship so she had no one to run with. She suggested we run the TC marathon. Surprisingly, to my friends and self, I agreed and began training. To build up I ran a 5K in March, a 10K in May and then trained for the marathon. I'm not fast and didn't do as well as I had hoped on my first ever marathon so I've already signed up for one in May. I did find it interesting that running became fun again after the marathon. In the weeks leading up to it running became a bit of a chore. I'm hoping that won't happen with the next.
