“Why” isn’t even a question. It’s a thoughtless statement, as in, “Why would you ever put yourself through that.” Almost like it’s a compulsory reaction that comes out of the non-running population’s mouths when they hear the word “running”, let alone “long distance running”.  My own reaction to their statement: “Why not?”

This is a scenario I’ve encountered many times.  I was talking to some other members of my group during a training one night, and I was not surprised to discover that people have said those exact words to them, usually accompanied by a shake of the head and followed by a comment similar to “You’re craaaaazy!” muttered to them as the person walks away.

When I think back to before I even started running, I remember I hated it.  Running was the worst.  I couldn’t work through the painful side stitches that I felt, and I was slow.  I then began running just to get in shape for the competitive soccer season.  My long runs used to be about a kilometer and a half, and it would take me close to fifteen minutes to do it.  I still felt those stitches and I was unnaturally slow.  I wanted to give up sometimes, but I gradually worked up to two kilometers.  I was so proud of myself when I hit three kilometers.  Then seven. Then ten!  This was when I discovered I liked the running aspect of soccer better than the actual sport.  I moved in to track the next summer, and I loved it.  I got to do speed work, which is my favourite, and someone was actually coaching me and teaching me how to improve.

When I think of this, I come to an understanding of why people don’t run.  People think “Why would I put myself through that when I could just watch TV or go on Facebook?” Newsflash people: The beginning is the hardest!  You will suffer almost every time you run!  You will feel pain!  You might feel sick!  You have to push!  You will almost definitely want to give up!  But if you give in and quit, it just goes to show that you are not just afraid of running, but of the pain and suffering and mental toughness that you need to run. 

I’m not saying that I’m free of those fears. I do slow down when I feel sick, I do lack a lot of the mental toughness needed to run an 800m and a 1500m.  When I start to suffer in my race, I do slow down and think about giving up.  I do get frustrated with a bad race, and I know I never run as well as I should because I am afraid.  But I’m working at it, and that’s the difference between me and my group members versus the non-running population.  Running is awesome because you find out what you’re made of, mentally and physically.  I need to work at it.  Even the best runners need to work at it.  There is no excuse as to why the non-running population of this world shouldn’t work at it either.  But at the very least, they could be a little more understanding!