Why I Run

I'm currently reading the first few pages of the book Lore of Running by Tim Noakes. His introduction to the reading which detailed his own reflection on running is inspirational. Reading them makes me feel and remember why I chose to run. Point by point in struck me both as a reminder and inspiration to keep moving forward. He gave seven reasons why he is running, those which also hold true for me. Here I are the excerpts of what he wrote:

"for a start, it provides complete solitude. Even in the most crowded races, the point is reached when fatigue drives us back into ourselves, into those secluded parts of our souls that we discover only under times of such duress and from which we emerge with a clearer perspective of the people we truly are...."

" Second, running made me newly aware of my body and of my responsibility to look after it. Having a physically improved body showed that I cared- that I had self pride and, more importantly, self discipline....."

" Next I discovered that the successful completion of several running challenges, such as finishing the ultramarathon as fast as I could, gave me the confidence that, within my own limits, I could achieve whatever physical or academic target I set myself, as long as I was prepared to make the necessary effort. I learned that the rewards of running, as in life, come only in direct proportion to the amount of effort I am prepared to exert, and to the extent to which I can summon the required discipline and application....."

" Fourth, running competition taught me the humility to realize my limitations and to accept them with pride, without envy of those who might have physical or intellectual gifts that I lack....."

" Fifth, running taught me about honesty. There is, you see, no luck in running. Results cannot be faked, and there is no one but yourself to blame when things go wrong. So running has shown be that life must be lived as a competition with oneself. That separated running from many team and skill sports. the real competitions are those in which we test ourselves in company with others. Peter Pollock, who achieved immortality in cricket, has to run the Comrades Marathon before he could write: "You have not lived in the world of competitive sports until you have fought a battle that is not against your opponent, but against yourself......"

"Sixth, in recent years, I have learned to use running for relaxation and creativity..."

"Finally, running can teach us aboout our spiritual component-the aspect that makes us uniquely human. This, I suspect, is the need to discover and to perfect, the need to keep moving forward. Running epitomizes that struggle by teaching us that we must not stop. Paavo Nurmi wrote:" You must move, otherwise you are bound for the grave" SO we inherit this desire to push to the limits to find out what makes us what we are , and what is behind us all......"

Tim Noakes
Lore of Running