My pal, Jennifer Luitwieler, invited me to be a guest blogger – the subject: why I run.
I used to teach with Jennifer’s husband Kurt, and Jennifer and I have struck up a friendship on Facebook and DailyMile. Jennifer is bright, witty, and a good person. She is also a writer with a new book coming out this fall. I can’t wait to read her book, and in the meantime, I hope you’ll check out her blog and of course, read my piece: Why I Run.
The questions: Why do you run? Why do you run marathons?
Meet Hilary Moffett, age 25, marathon runner
I began running when I was 13 or 14. My parents are both runners and instilled in my siblings and myself the important of physical activity at a very young age. So, I began running! I used to do it on the weekends or sometimes even in the morning before school because I had sports in the afternoon. I decided I was going to run marathons when I was in the hospital after my brain surgery. I remember sitting in bed and not able to move much less run and I thought to myself “When I’m better, I’m going to run a marathon”. I made good on that promise when I was 19 and ran the Omaha marathon. I just finished my 5th official marathon and have passed 8 years of being cancer free!
I love to run because it is a special sort of meditation for me. I like to be alone on the road and to just breathe. I love the feeling of the body working in unison in the most natural human motion. I sometimes listen to music, sometimes I don’t—just depends on my mood! But the most important thing to me is the time it gives me to work through emotions and problems. I have found it is my prescription for anything: anxiety, sadness, fear, anticipation. They all tend to melt away after a nice run. And then, when I’m finished, I love the feeling of exhausted muscles that have done me well.
So marathons, specifically, are a mix of emotion for me. I like to look at it as just another long Sunday run. Someone once gave me that piece of advice and it stuck with me! There are moments when I think I’ve gone crazy, to be doing what I’m doing. There are moments of overwhelming emotion and reflection, times when I actually problem solve in my head, and much of the time passes in a present daze of a clear head and soft feet. It is an extremely spiritual practice for me and, like most that rely upon a practice to keep them sane and aligned, I always feel better after a good run.
Hilary recently qualified to run in the Boston Marathon in 2012. Thanks for your contribution Hilary, you are inspiring!
Here are the past stories, in case you missed them:
Posted in health, Life, marathon
Tagged boston marathon, brain surgery, hilary moffett, roger soler, turning 50, why run, why run a marathon
In honor of turning 50 next year, I’ve decided to run a 1/2 marathon. You can read about that decision here. Now that’s decided, and I find myself thinking a lot about running, and wondering why other people run, and why run marathons.
So I decided to ask a few friends why they run and over the next few days, I’ll post their stories.
The questions: Why do you run? Why do you run marathons?
Today’s marathon man is Ray L. age 60:
I started running back in the mid 80′s, when I wasn’t a very active person and my marriage was starting to fall apart. It was a way to relieve some stress and to have some ” alone” time. My running consisted of running around the block a few times ! I gradually built up to my first 5k–the Jacksonville Beach Summer Run–Running on the beach became my favorite thing to do–the movement of your body and the ocean waves rolling onto the shore just seem to go together.
Over the years I gradually increased the distance; and in 1998 ran my first marathon–the Marine Corps Marathon in D.C. Running thru our nation’s capital and crossing the finish line of that first marathon was an experience I will never forget–I was in such a “zone” that I didn’t even see my family standing @ the finish line with a HUGE sign saying “congratulations Dad !” I was surrounded by 1000′s of people yet I felt like I was the most important, and only person around ! I felt so proud of myself–something I didn’t always feel about myself! I think I slept with my finishers medal on that night ! It made my family proud of me also which just added to the euphoria I was experiencing.
Training for a marathon has taught me self discipline–if you’re going to succeed you know you have to get up in the morning and do your training runs–I learned how to plan and use my time.
Marathon running has boosted my self-confidence and self-esteem, has made me a stronger person both physically and mentally–It’s amazing what your body can do when you put your mind to it. You cross that finish line and think “WOW” I did it, I’m a WINNER-no matter how long it took! But watch out–it becomes addictive!
Ray has a great spirit and I appreciate his contribution to the Why do you run? series.
In case you missed the first installment, check out Soler’s Sports own Olympian, Roger Soler.
Posted in emotions, health, Life, marathon
Tagged jacksonville beach summer run, marathon, marine corps marathon, self-esteem, strong, why run a marathon
