The Running Thread—2023

[camaker]

QOTD: Simple question here today. Why do you run?

ATTQOTD: It started out to drop a few pounds, and then continued because I enjoyed it so much.

ATTQOTD: I started running because of Disney and now run it because I enjoy it and can't imagine otherwise. I was always a team sports person. I loved chasing a ball or a disc, with Ultimate Frisbee being my college and adult sport of choice. Running just to run was unthinkably boring. Then a lifetime of bad habits caught up to me, I had to have knee surgery, and the surgeon told me I should take the elevator rather than the stairs because my knee was in so bad a shape and I was going to need a knee replacement before 50, if not. After that, things spiraled out of control and I ended up at 335 lbs before deciding something had to change.

I used a combination of walking and diet change to drop 155 lbs and get to the point where I could start playing Ultimate Frisbee again. Around that time, my PT, a fellow Disney fan, asked me if I'd consider running a half marathon with him at W&D 2015. I started some training and found that I actually loved running for running's sake. After the first 10k that I ran for W&D PoT, I was hooked. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get registered for W&D, so I turned my attention to MW 2016 where I ran the 10k + Goofy. The rest is history, as they say.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: I love the feeling of my body in motion. I grew up in the ballet and that will always be my first love… but it’s simply impossible for most non-professional ballerinas to maintain the fitness, strength, and flexibility of youth later in life. Running is kinder to my aging body and is the next best experience I’ve found to the feeling ballet gives me.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: because I can, which is a marvel to me because I never could when I was a kid, doing 25-30 minute miles in gym class.

Also, because BLING

 

[nancipants]

ATTQOTD: The surface answer is that my friends convinced me to do a 5k in 2022, then a 10k in 2023. And as I trained, I realized I enjoyed it, so I kept going. It also helps me keep up with my toddler.

The real answer, that I didn't realize until I started running on a regular basis, is that I've been unhappy with my body for awhile now and running has helped me appreciate what my body is capable of. I never had a problem with my weight, but going through infertility really made me start hating my body. When I got pregnant, I hated the way I felt, which made me feel guilty because I'd gone through so much to get pregnant. I am short, and carrying all that extra weight made me start swelling halfway through my pregnancy and I could barely walk by the end of it.

I started walking on the treadmill with my son in order to get him to nap but also to lose some baby weight. It worked for a bit, and then he got too heavy, and then I stopped walking. I gained weight through the pandemic and became more unhappy with my body. Running has made me appreciate my body, even if I don't lose one pound. I feel better, both mentally and physically, and that's all that matters. As Elle Woods says, exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands.

(Running is also something I can do that I'm totally in control of, unlike writing, an area where I'm subject to the whims of the publishing world.)

 

[SheHulk]

SAFD: I love the feeling of my body in motion. I grew up in the ballet and that will always be my first love… but it’s simply impossible for most non-professional ballerinas to maintain the fitness, strength, and flexibility of youth later in life. Running is kinder to my aging body and is the next best experience I’ve found to the feeling ballet gives me.

How many activities can you compare with running, and find running is *kinder* to an aging body??!! Ballet sounds brutal. Beautiful but brutal.

 

[SheHulk]

ATTQOTD: I just love it. I love getting my heart rate up while I'm running, I love feeling exhausted after a long run. I love being outdoors, even in less than ideal weather. I love having the seasons change around me year round. I love that it's solitude time. I love that I rarely have insomnia, even though I'm at an age that many women do. I believe it helps my anxiety levels generally. I love races, the bigger the circus atmosphere the better. I love the community. People around me say I'm too focused on it, but I just don't understand anybody that doesn't like it.

 

[pluto377]

ATTQOTD- I run to stay sane. It's the only thing I do that is for me and just for me. It's my time to be alone with my thoughts, to enjoy what I'm capable of, and to be in nature. I get seriously cranky and anxiety ridden if I miss a few days.

 

[Herding_Cats]

ATTQOTD:
running was an alternative to HIIT/weight training after I got kind of tired of that one winter. Running (exercise in general) is one of the ways that I get through winters with some semblance of positive mental health, and rundisney races help with that since there are no races (that I would be willing to participate in) in my area in the winter.


And just typing this out makes me realize why my mental health is so crappy right now, because I haven't done anything since January.

 

[jmasgat]

ATTQOTD: I started running the year I turned 50. Honestly, it was a way to justify Disney trips given that my kids by then were in college/HS. I kept on running because it turned out I was pretty good at it from an age group standpoint--and I'm a little competitive. Also, I'm quite happy to be on my own when I run and don't have a burning need to do activities with people.

Nowadays, it is becoming more about what I can do to stay active til as late in life as possible (before I get one of those 3 wheel trikes and menace the bike paths!). I still like the structure of a training plan to keep active, but I have started telling myself that my new mantra is "Complete, not compete"....the extra "L" is for the "Love" I am giving my aging body. (This is where I gag at the sheer sappy banality of that statement. And then laugh at the sarcasm--but that's just me!)

 

[GreatLakes]

QOTDL I've always played sports so I've always run but I started distance running specifically after college because I was looking for a new challenge. I keep running because I love it. The mental clarity I get during a run, the adrenaline boost when I race, the ability to run around new and/or beautiful places and explore on foot. I hope to keep doing it long into life because when I can't any more I know I'll lose a big piece of what makes life enjoyable.

 

[prncssjas]

ATTQOTD: I just love it. I love getting my heart rate up while I'm running, I love feeling exhausted after a long run. I love being outdoors, even in less than ideal weather. I love having the seasons change around me year round. I love that it's solitude time. I love that I rarely have insomnia, even though I'm at an age that many women do. I believe it helps my anxiety levels generally. I love races, the bigger the circus atmosphere the better. I love the community. People around me say I'm too focused on it, but I just don't understand anybody that doesn't like it.

Wow @SheHulk , I love that you captured into words so many of my own thoughts when I saw the QOTD. You really said it so nicely so I will just add that I 100% agree with the extra emphasis on the solitude and time to think aspect of running.

 

[PrincessV]

How many activities can you compare with running, and find running is *kinder* to an aging body??!! Ballet sounds brutal. Beautiful but brutal.

I thought about that after I posted and realized…

This is the kind of stuff that starts a string of therapy sessions, isn’t it?! I once performed on an ankle so badly sprained, my doctor said I’d have been better off breaking it. I coated it in BenGay, wrapped it in Saran wrap, covered the plastic with an ACE bandage, and got through the performance. Mile 20 of a marathon is nothing in comparison!

This is also an illustration of why finding doctors who understand athletes is soooooo helpful. One doctor I saw who doesn’t know anything about ballet or distance running was useless because they couldn’t get past the concept of “I finished a marathon 3 weeks ago, but I hurt in ways I never did with the first 6 I ran, and my training mileage dropped from 40-50 miles/week to 15-20.” Whereas a doctor I’ve seen who is a distance runner himself and whose daughter is a ballerina brought in his entire residents team to look at me because “a dancer and/or runner is a totally different patient - when they say something ‘hurts but I can push through it,’ assume that’s equivalent to a level 9-10 for the general public.”

 

[LorrieAnn5]

QOTD: Why do you run?

1. I started running in 2018. At the time probably just to prove to myself that I could. School PE class wasn't a good format to hone in on my athleticism....it wasn't me, it was the stupid class. So I started Couch to 5k; I completed it and was ready for more.
2. As I got better (relative term), and the world continued to have scary events, I realized that I trained so I could run to get to my babies if I needed to in an emergency.
3. Currently, I'm doing a combination of strength/weight lifting, running, and yoga. I believe that this is the golden ticket combination to longevity. So not specifically to running, but I exercise in general for bodily health, mental health, and physique.
4. I also "habit stack" exercising with listening to audiobooks which makes both exercising & reading way more fun!

 

[surfde22]

ATTQOTD: I always played track and cross country in high school, but didn’t really enjoy it. I did them because…. long story. My brother did the inaugural Dopey and I my mouth saying I could beat all his times, because… what else does a big brother do. I started teasing for the 2017 Dopey, bad memories, and fell in love with running. I’ve had ups and downs with it, but after an amazing marathon at Dopey this year I fell in love with that distance and not an going to drive my wife insane as I chase the World Majors and a BQ time. It’s only been a few months and she’s already sick of hearing about it. YAY me!!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

QOTD: Why do you run?

1. I started running in 2018. At the time probably just to prove to myself that I could. School PE class wasn't a good format to hone in on my athleticism....it wasn't me, it was the stupid class. So I started Couch to 5k; I completed it and was ready for more.
2. As I got better (relative term), and the world continued to have scary events, I realized that I trained so I could run to get to my babies if I needed to in an emergency.
3. Currently, I'm doing a combination of strength/weight lifting, running, and yoga. I believe that this is the golden ticket combination to longevity. So not specifically to running, but I exercise in general for bodily health, mental health, and physique.
4. I also "habit stack" exercising with listening to audiobooks which makes both exercising & reading way more fun!

Yes! I blame middle school gym class for my running aversion when I was in school. They don't teach running, and then tell you to go out and run a mile. Oh, and then that's supposed to determine how healthy you are??? Yeah right. Between that or the beep test, pushups, situps, and the darn rope climbing, all I found out was I had next to no upper body strength and no idea about pacing.

 

[dis_or_dat]

ATTQOTD: same as many here - ran initially to lose weight for my wedding. Then I realized I actually enjoyed it and did quick 3 mile runs and after a few years slowly ramped up the miles.

 

[pluto377]

Pity post- I've been diagnosed with posterior tibial tendinitis. My ankle has been hurting on and off since late December and I finally went to a doctor. Starting PT on Monday. Doctor says I can still run on it, but it's really hurting right now so I think I should take some time off. Hoping with the PT this will heal quickly, but I'm afraid of how much extra damage I did by not getting it checked sooner. Ugh.....

 

[SheHulk]

Pity post- I've been diagnosed with posterior tibial tendinitis. My ankle has been hurting on and off since late December and I finally went to a doctor. Starting PT on Monday. Doctor says I can still run on it, but it's really hurting right now so I think I should take some time off. Hoping with the PT this will heal quickly, but I'm afraid of how much extra damage I did by not getting it checked sooner. Ugh.....

I've had this. One lesson I've learned is that I have to wear shoes all the time, even in the house, to support my arches. I have a pair of Oofos flip flops and they work wonders on prevention.

 

[The Expert]

ATTQOTD

Whereas a doctor I’ve seen who is a distance runner himself and whose daughter is a ballerina brought in his entire residents team to look at me because “a dancer and/or runner is a totally different patient - when they say something ‘hurts but I can push through it,’ assume that’s equivalent to a level 9-10 for the general public.”

Yes! I blame middle school gym class for my running aversion when I was in school. They don't teach running, and then tell you to go out and run a mile. Oh, and then that's supposed to determine how healthy you are??? Yeah right.

^^^ It me. I was in cheer and dance most of my life, and I was a competitive swimmer up through about 10th grade, but HATED running because the only exposure I had to it was that dreaded mile run every year in PE. I got into running at 45 because of Disney bling, and it gave me a bit of my dance joy back. I can't say I love running tbh, but running to music allows me to get lost in the beat like I did with dance. think part of my struggle with running slow for training is that I get bored. I subconsciously run to the beat and I literally can't find any fun music that is slow enough for my slow run speed. Podcasts, iFit and football just aren't the same motivator. Thankfully I have only had one injury, but I did push through it longer than I should have. I never considered my dance background meant a higher pain tolerance, but it totally makes sense now.

I haven't done much of anything since January, since my life is in chaos with this cross-country move. But I'll be settled there in a few weeks and hope to use this change as a kick-start to a new routine. I'll be working east coast hours, which means I'll be ahead of most of my colleagues instead of waking up a few hours behind. Maybe I can finally get on a morning run routine and stick to it??

 

[Baloo in MI]

ATTQOTD:
I run because I can. I grew up in a family of runners and when I was much younger I was very competitive in age group, Junior Olympics, HS Cross Country and Track and then college track. But as an adult I got away from running. In my early 40’s I got really serious again. Ran pretty hard for about 8 years and then had a significant injury. It took me 1 1/2 years to get back to running. Since then I am just happy to run. Sometimes I have to challenge my ego and remember why I run now. But I am so grateful to be able to run. I hope to do it my whole life!

Oh, and my answer to a favorite running themed movie - Western Time. A short documentary about Ultra Runner Sally McCrae. I just love the film. Seen it sooo many times and am inspired to tears regularly.