So.... Why do you run?

Here's the thing - I'm average. 

I am a 22 year old, white female with no great skill. I don't surf, or cook, or sing, or act, and I haven't spent time 'finding myself' in a far away land. I mean sure, I have accomplished some things. I am a college graduate from Washington State University. They gave me an extra big piece of paper so I know it's real. I have my teaching certificate, and with that, I teach high school. Every day I wake up, I go to work, I come home, I make my lunch for the next day, I watch trashy TV, and then I go to bed. 

Now, probably three times a week, I break this routine... This break in the routine involves my golden retriever, a leash, and a pair of shoes. We both hit the road, get yelled at by old people who appear far too senile to be yelling, and we run four miles. That's it. Four miles. Maybe to someone who doesn't work out, four miles may sound hard. But it really is only marginally harder than driving four miles. If driving four miles is tough for you, you should probably see someone about that.

"So.... why do you run?" That's the question most runners have been faced with at one point. This question seems like an awkward first date question to me, but trust me, it happens. And almost immediately I can respond. Most runners will tell you about the 'high' they get, or the money they raise, or the challenge they face on a daily basis when hitting a new PR. But for me, it's more simple than that - I run for the swimsuit I bought in February.

This isn't just any swimsuit. This swimsuit is the most perfect collaboration of spandex and cotton this world has ever seen. It is the lululemon Coastal Om bikini and it also happened to be 54 dollars...... for the top. Another 54 for the bottom. Usually I try not to strain myself by doing mental math, but here it is: 108 dollars. I'm pretty sure there is less than a half of a yard of fabric in total. So, if we are doing some conversions, or fractions, or..... (don't worry, I teach English), I'm pretty sure this is more expensive than gold.

This swimsuit sounds perfect, doesn't it? But, you see, very up-hill has a down-hill, and here it is: The swimmy is a little tight. Ok, ok, it gives me a, dare I say it, ....muffin top.... When I run, I run to take a bite out of that muffin, and allow the swimmy to lay a little nicer across the rear. 

So today I ran. How far? Four miles, yes, you're right. Paying attention - great! But today I was running for another reason. This reason was bigger than the swimsuit (did I really just make my own fat joke?). I was running to train for the 2013 Portland Marathon. Just this morning, I signed up. My college roommate, Jordan, and I, are going to run all of 26.2 miles through beautiful Portland on October 6. While I was running this morning, I felt something inside me, and it could have been last night's dinner, but I think it was inspiration. I felt inspired to run for something more important than clothes, and that felt great. 

So what am I running for now? I'm running to prove to myself that I can.



132 days until Portland