Why do we run? A defense

A version of this article appeared first on my personal website.

The most commonly asked question as I prepare for, or recover from my most recent long distance slog is, “Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” Good question.

I can’t pinpoint precisely when I caught the running bug. And those who have it can attest that it really is an all-consuming condition. Mental. Physical. Spiritual.

I always remember running with relative ease. I wouldn’t have described myself as the fastest or quickest kid out there, but I was athletic and I would outrun the neighborhood kids in longer races. Days when I was late to school afforded me early opportunity to train with some weight in my backpack. Recess was usually spent in one or more games that, if I wanted to win, required me to outrun my friends. Our elementary school in Halifax, Nova Scotia competed in citywide cross country races (they must have been adorable) and the practices and meets gave me my first test of competitive racing. I gravitated towards team sports (baseball, basketball, football) but never lost sight of the undeniable fact that hard work, for all of these sports, required me to run.

In the fall of my freshman year of high school, I was faced with a choice: try out for the basketball team, or run indoor track. The football season had concluded, and I (fresh off recovery from a broken fibula) was looking for the next thing. For a sports obsessed fourteen year old, taking a season off was unthinkable. When I asked if I had a chance…