"Purposeful" Running

Today morning during the cooling down after the morning run, I was wondering- why do I run in spite of "that pain"? That "pain"- well, just to clarify, I don’t wear my right shoulder (dead weight) while running so that’s not the issue; it’s those tiny screws embedded in the right ankle that hurt post the run (thankfully not during).  I don’t run every day; generally have late working nights during the week, but do make it a point to run every Sunday early morning.

Anyway, the question I posed was – why do I run? Why? (Reminds me of - "Why Mr. Anderson, why?") What’s the purpose/motivation?  Yes it’s an old habit from the good ol’ Army days, but that’s not the answer. I know many people fond of running, and there are even those high-spirited ones that love running on the face of adverse circumstances. Everyone has different reasons behind their motivation, which is needed 'coz running is pure hard work, no cutting corners. In my case, the pain lasts for some time in the feet and then vanishes, but that’s a cost I’m willing to pay for d ‘objective’. I concluded that the answer (for me) is twofold- (i) running is one of the best exercises for self-judging one’s determination quotient and (ii) I’m the only one ‘Responsible’ & ‘Accountable’ for my body.

I follow bouts of purposeful running and auto-pilot mode. Purposeful running is when I’m consciously aware of the push from every step of the run, incremental push from swing of the left hand, and aware of the fact that this effort is adding value. Of course, bouts of auto mode are also fun where the body just moves with the flow, and focus is more on the lyrics of the song in the playlist (from the headphone).

One of my favorite sayings is – “Stretch your limits once a while, lest you lose your elasticity”. Running helps in keeping that spirit alive, especially because it tests the determination to go on when you can just stop and walk or jog. Really, who’s watching? How does it matter to anyone else? It’s only our own ‘will’ that can make us keep going. By the same token, it’s our value system that helps in making the ‘right’ decision when no one’s watching, but then I’m digressing here (apologies). All said and done, we are answerable/accountable to our body (personifying it as a separate entity), and I just want to make sure- mine gives me a good rating during performance appraisal :).

Ciao ppl!

Ciao life!

P.S: Well, it also helps in negating d sugar intake from my affinity towards good dark chocolate :).