Why I Love Running

I decided yesterday that it was time for me to get back into my regular routine of running. I want to do two half-marathons this summer and maybe a couple other smaller races. I'm pretty sure I don't want to train for any marathons this summer though. I did promise Scott that I wouldn't do another marathon until I beat my half-marathon time. Maybe I can actually keep that promise if by some miracle I beat my half-marathon time this summer. I did read that being pregnant can sometimes make you a better runner afterwards because of the increased blood and oxygen demands on your body while you are pregnant. I don't know how long this improvement takes, but based on my run yesterday I don't think this improvement will be here anytime soon. I'm starting out pretty slow and I think I was actually a better runner when I was 7 months pregnant than I am right now, but that's OK. It will be fun to slowly build back up and see the improvement.

My decision that it was time to start running again was also somewhat influenced by all the ice-cream I had eaten the day before. It's too bad that my sweet tooth had to come back almost as soon as Boston was born. It was so nice to not want sweets all the time when I was pregnant!

I took Boston to Provo yesterday to try out our jogging stroller. I like running in Provo a lot more than Orem, so I usually drive down there and park at BYU when I want to run. Anyway, while I was running I was thinking about why I liked to run and decided I should write down all the reasons I like to run so I could go back and look at them when I am lacking in motivation and energy.

Here is what I came up with:

-I have never once gone on a run and regretted going.

-Running always puts me in a better mood (I love the runner's high).

-No matter how tired I am before I go running I always have more energy afterwards.

-I am more productive on the days that I go running.

-I sleep better when I run.

-Running makes me want to eat better.

-I made a lot of my best friends through running with them.

-Running relieves stress.

-I love to be outside and find new pretty places to run.

-Races are fun memories and a feeling of accomplishment.

-It's fun to continually work on trying to improve my times.

-It burns calories so I can get away with eating too much ice-cream every once in awhile.

-There's a million health reasons such as it's good for my heart, my cholesterol, my blood pressure, and it reduces the risk of a number of diseases such as diabetes, etc.

-Running is hard and I think it helps me do other hard things in life.

Don't you just want to go for a run right now?!

There might be a few more I'm forgetting, but I think those are all of the main reasons I love running. Now hopefully this will keep me motivated to get back on a regular running schedule. Having a baby is definitely going to require me to have more discipline and determination if I want to keep running, so I'm going to need this reminder. I can't just run out the door any time and go anywhere I want anymore. I have to schedule it around feedings, and I also have to pack up the jogging stroller and Boston and choose somewhere that is jogger-stroller friendly to run. Energy is sometimes hard to gather up when I wake up every few hours during the night for an hour or so, but that is why I reminded myself that running always gives me more energy no matter how tired I am before I go.

I haven't gone running yet today, so we'll see if this post can work it's magic on me now. By the way, I really want a running buddy right now! So if anyone that reads this also wants a running buddy and doesn't mind starting out slow or going with a jogging stroller let me know!!