Tom’s first Tri

People have asked me many times why I enjoy running so much and why I don’t go to the gym to work out instead. Though I’ve recently added two more disciplines to my weekly workout schedule (swimming and cycling) I still consider myself as a recreational runner but not as a triathlete. I’ll be a (beginner) triathlete as soon as I’ve finished my first Tri. Until then I simply enjoy the benefits that running and exercising in general bring, i.e. getting in shape.

Having said this I’m now going to let you guys know why running is so much fun and what running means to me. Unfortunately, too often people think that running is boring or have other reasons not to go running. In my opinion these people miss one of the simplest, though purest sport out there. I know people who go to the gym 3-5 times a week, spend there a couple of hours but can’t do a 3k run.

To consider yourself in shape one should at least be able to run a few kilometers without needing a paramedic afterwards.

– Tom Taper

I’m not talking about the time one needs to finish a 5k or 10k run, but just the fact that you should be able to run without taking a pause after every single kilometer. Not that taking breaks or walking during a running workout is a bad thing to do; in fact walking is good as it offers us the possibility to convert a longer run into an interval workout of shorter runs, thus allowing us to exercise longer and improve our condition by repeating and reducing the breaks between these intervals or adding more intervals to our workout.

As I said, this is my opinion - you might think different. So why am I running? Ok, so there’s the weight thing. Frankly, I do not care about this point as much any more as I used to do in the past because I feel very comfortable the way I am right now.

But there are other reasons why I like running so much. Mostly for health reasons (closely related to the weight factor), but there are several other reasons as well, some of which I found being elaborated in Amby Burfoot’s “Complete book of Beginning Running“.

In the past year I partied a lot; really a lot and very frequently. We all know that drinking alcohol isn’t the healthiest way of spending your spare time, it damages your lever and also your brain. Moreover, there’s a side effect: lots of calories make you gain a lot of weight. Well, I surely can’t undo the damages partying has done to my brain or to my lever, but most certainly I can do something about my weight. That’s what I told myself when I decided to start running. And I lost weight, great success

One of the many other reasons is the simplicity of running. You do not need to learn a special technique, which you have to do when starting to play tennis, golf or whatsoever. Remember, when you were a kid playing hide and seek or cops and robbers? You just ran when you were spotted trying to get away. Running is the simplest fitness activity out there, you don’t need to take any training lessons or read an instruction manual (I dislike all that stuff advertised in TV that promise miracle results). Everybody can run, no exception. If you can walk, you can run. Period.

Whether you do social or solo running, running is great fun and it makes you feel good. This is my key reason for running. When running solo I can reflect and be just by myself and my thoughts. All too often I have some great ideas on problems I’ve been dealing with for days. An example? When working on my master thesis I went running every day and while I was running I thought about how I could improve a paragraph or a chapter and most of the times I had a (creative) breakthrough. With time I got addicted to running.

There’s no denying that after a run I feel exhausted and am longing for a shower or a timeout in the bubble bath. But hey, that’s the reason why it is called working out, isn’t it? Usually, after having showered up I feel much more energetic than I had felt before I went running, believe it or not. Working out is not only physical medicine, but also a mental one as it makes me feel better every single time. Another great point for running is that you are absolutely independent. This is why I like it so much. I do not need to reschedule my workouts after somebody else’s timetable. I can go running whenever I want to and feel like it.

Talking about independence, let’s also talk about honesty. When running solo nobody can cheat on you, except yourself. The stopwatch doesn’t lie to you, neither does the distance. Forget about biassed referees and judges, it is JUST you. How refreshing

Not to forget the factor of personal satisfaction: After a couple of runs you see and feel the difference and the progress that you have made. Whether you become faster or able to run a longer distance, both developments are rewarding and thus make you enjoy doing sports even more. And believe me, there’s nothing on this planet that keeps you going more effectively than yourself being totally satisfied with your accomplishments; besides being forced to do so by an overseer

Let me summarize my key reasons to run:

1. Fun factor
2. Its simplicity and efficiency
3. Running gives me a “legal high”

If you want to start running, find reasons that are most compelling to you. Everybody is different, has different priorities, and thus so vary the reasons to run. Whatever reason you have for running or working out, it is a good one as long as it keeps you running and stick to your (exercise) plan. However, never forget about the most important factor.

Most of us will never become a professional and be able to make a living out of running! Thus, we do it for one simple reason: having a good time. As long as you enjoy running you can be sure that you stick to it.

– Tom Taper