Love

10 Reasons Why I Love Running

1. Its for me, by me.  There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that this crazy thing we do is really only by me, and its really for me.  I'm not running to beat the Halls, that would take a miracle or two, or to be the next Usain Bolt, its really just me for me!
2. I'm too cheap for the gym.  I'm probably not alone here, but I love my weight training too, but I'm too cheap. That is why I P90x at home and run outdoors!
3. Shoes. I'm a girl, enough said. Just kidding! I have six shoes I'm currently rotating, and I know opinions vary on their credibility as running shoes, but my love for cute shoes extend to running shoes as well! 
4. Racing! I'm not there to race the thousand other runners, its really me against me, but the environment carries a charge that no other environment does.  Its the contagious enthusiasm during early, cold Sunday mornings that I look forward too!
5. Runners! Meeting new people has been an awesome, surprise perk of running! I love meeting new people when I buy my shoes, when I race, when I run around the park, when I read other blogs, when I tweet, when I share life! Its amazing how genuinely kind most runners are! There are a few outliers, but they probably just didn't get their run in that day.
6. Chocolate Outrage GU! Frosting in a squeezable tube that I can eat without guilt! Amen.
7. My legs! Running, hills especially has tone my legs like crazy. Its not even "done" yet and I'm already amazed! I know my legs can tone up more and if the progress this early on is amazing, I can't wait till  I finish 1000 miles on hills!
8. Endorphins! Who doesn't love the after run smell, sweat, stringy hair, leg soreness and endorphin ride? I do! I look forward to it just as much as ice baths and showering after a good run!
9. Eating! When I'm struggling the last few miles, I think about what I'm going to eat after. It helps, a lot. I don't use running as an excuse to binge eat, but the last few minutes of a solid run, that slice of pizza, or something nice and carby with a glass of ice water [or chocolate milk!] makes me love running even more.
10. Alone time! I love my running alone time.  It a busy world, its nice to be alone and just be out there being in touch with my body and myself. Feeling every fiber in my muscle do its thing. Its being "alive," when you feel like the stress has killed you. Its a renewed sense of hope!