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Running for Quiet
But that's not why I started running. I started running because of the promise of Quiet. I had just given birth to my fourth child, and the woman who came to our home to help out, told me about how she liked to run around her pond, and how it quietened her mind. That resonated with me.
I forgot something… Oh right: Me.
As a mom of four children I often felt harried, and sometimes even a bit lost. It was hard to keep track of myself. So I carefully started this running thing, with 20 minutes walking, building up to a half hour of running. Your typical Couch to 5K training programme. And something happened during my runs: I felt like me again. There I was: not someone's mom, but just Me. Running.
Eleven years have gone by since I first started running, and I am now the proud mom of five children. I truely believe that running has been a great tool to get me through the tough times. Running is just for me.
But now I run for my health too! So it seems like I'm doing things the other way around. I still run to find peace and quiet, but I also like the fact that running keeps my body in good health. So even though I took up running for psychological reasons, eleven years later physical reasons have also become a factor.
So I was wondering: 'Why did you start running, and why are you running now?'
4 comments
I hadn't really thought about that before. Running for quiet is somewhat true for me too. Although I often listen to something (usually podcasts) while running, I really do treasure the alone time if I'm not running with someone.
Honestly, I started running for quiet too. I don't have kids of my own, but I have 92 of them during the day. I also waitress at night. My name is always being called. When I am not at work, I have other responsibilities. When I run, my only responsibility is to myself. Same reason that I leave my phone in the locker at the gym. It is my "me" time!
What a great post. I love your reason for getting started. Really, I started b/c I wanted to do triathlons. After a while, as much as I enjoyed tris, I found that running was just my thing. 15 years later and I love it all the more!
Great post! Since I'm sidelined right now with a stress fracture, I've really realized how much running helps with my sanity! I'm a mom of 4 year old twins and a pharmacy manager, and my life is just chaos! Running really helps calm me :)
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