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Why Run?

My ‘E theory’ of running: It’s a pot-pourri of my realizations while running, overheard conversations and comments on social media.

 

E xercise: All children run, most youngsters run, some adults run, few elders run. As life passes on we become more mechanized, more sedentary and more out of shape. At some point in life we have an almost Eureka like moment, when the need to exercise hits us. It could be a stray comment by someone about you being out of shape, it could be looking yourself in the mirror one day and not recognising the overweight and puffed up stranger, it could be the doctor explaining your medical condition and the need to improve your lifestyle. So you decide to exercise before life passes you by….and what simpler exercise than to run?!  Neither do you need any special skills nor do you need specialized equipment. Just a good pair of running shoes and appropriate clothing: you are set to reclaim good shape and good health. That’s how I started and am still at it.

 

E ating: Running or strenuous exercise gives you the license to indulge in one of the guilty pleasures of life. You can eat to your heart’s content or at least till your tummy’s content!! You indulge and HOPE to burn it off. As long as you don’t overdo it and are sensible about it, running gives you the freedom to gorge. It has certainly allowed me to keep my sweet tooth well pampered.

 

E scape: There is also a degree of escapism involved in running. You are running away from: a humdrum existence/ stress of modern living/ pressures of professional life/ pulls of family life. Running away from mediocrity, negativity, and shallowness. 

 

E motion and E xhilaration: Of discovering a ‘new you’. You are running towards self-realization. It allows you time to introspect, make new resolutions, stretch your limits, and redefine yourself. It makes you a better person: more resolute, more disciplined, more positive, a better competitor, a team player, more civic minded, socially and environmentally conscious.

 

E ndorphin high: Of course!! Isn’t it what we all runners crave and live for? Adrenaline (Epinephrine) fuelled runs. The kick, the high and the after-glow of endorphins. Better than coffee, alcohol and assorted stimulants!!  Once hooked on, difficult to let go. Don’t we all have those withdrawal symptoms, that slight depressive feeling on the day we do not run? My day, for sure, seems incomplete on the day I do not run and my energy levels seem lower.

 

E go: This is probably the most contentious ‘E’. Cross your heart and be brutally honest. All the running, in no small part, isn’t it to give your ego a boost? I for one, was athletically well below average in school. Picking up running, sticking to it and getting better along the way was my path to rise above average. 

The Ego pushes you to run faster, run further. Your ‘self-image’ improves; you are recognized and appreciated more. Ego on the UP elevator! You post on social media, you crave the likes and check back every few hours for more comments. You compare your timings and distances with others, hoping to be better off, grudgingly accept the high achievers, and euphemistically call it ‘inspiration’! Never mind. We are human after all. Envy and Ego go hand in hand. 

 

There you have it! That’s my perspective. Would love to hear/ read yours’.  

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