Why I Run - Part 1

I do a lot of reading.  I am constantly scrolling through the universe to gather useful tidbits of advise, knowledge, and useless trivia to help me make it through my everyday life.  Now, for ths most part I gain only useless trivia which, my dear wife will atest, I use either to talk about sports or make lame jokes.  I am also a first class nerd, hence the lame jokes.  Back to reading...I try to stay current on those events happening in the world or country, whichever is more appealing as an article,  and use this information to formulate my own opinions.  I pride myself in taking an open-minded approach to viewing politics and other situations which affect me or my family.  I have no intention of voicing my politcal views or discussing my stance on hot topics in this space.  In my quest for knowledge, I find myself either focusing on a specific topic or just wandering aimlessly until something interesting comes my way. 

Enter my latest obsession, running.  I have been running since August, where after years of talking about exercising, I finally mustered the strength, courage, motivation, and any other appropriate adjective, to get off my butt and hit the road.  In reality, it started because I mentioned that I wanted to run the 5k Cable Bridge Run last December.  Once I told my wife, we then told her parents, and then I truly felt like I was committed to actually doing something that I had intentions of starting but perhaps not any true motivation.  This, in a nut shell, is why I began running. 

Like many other things I have done in my life, I started running by first researching the subject on the internet, where I found a plan with which I felt I could live. (More on my couch to 5k program later.)  I finally stumbled upon Runners World, where I found all sorts of useful information. I found training plans aplenty from 5k to Full-Marathon.  But alot of what the site contains is how to keep one's self motivated to get out and run every week, month, year.  There are lots of ways, and I will share many of mine as we continue this journey.  It boils down to why.  Why do you run?  What makes you get up at 5 in the morning to get that 5 mile run in?  Why do you strap on those shoes and just go? 

My answers are easy and the same as everyone elses, I suppose.  Because it is a calming release.  It clears my head.  It gives me a chance to think, or be by myself.  I have no distractions.  But why do I run, what will keep me going when I don't have a goal, when I am not trying to out do myself?  Yesterday the answer struck me, my son (and second child due this summer), and my wife.  My family, running is a solo activity, no one can run your miles for you, what makes you run is personal.  I love my family and want to spend as much time on this Earth with them as possible, but I also do this to show my son that I lead an active healthy lifestyle.  I want to lead by example my son is already at the point that he sees me lacing up my running shoes and he starts clambering to go with me.  He is what inspires me.