Most runners start to run to improve their health or to do something about their weight.
Running for Quiet
But that’s not why I started running. I started running because of the promise of Quiet. I had just given birth to my fourth child, and the woman who came to our home to help out, told me about how she liked to run around her pond, and how it quietened her mind. That resonated with me.
I forgot something‌ Oh right: Me.
As a mom of four children I often felt harried, and sometimes even a bit lost. It was hard to keep track of myself. So I carefully started this running thing, with 20 minutes walking, building up to a half hour of running. Your typical Couch to 5K training programme. And something happened during my runs: I felt like me again. There I was: not someone’s mom, but just Me. Running.
Eleven years have gone by since I first started running, and I am now the proud mom of five children. I truely believe that running has been a great tool to get me through the tough times. Running is just for me.
But now I run for my health too! So it seems like I’m doing things the other way around. I still run to find peace and quiet, but I also like the fact that running keeps my body in good health. So even though I took up running for psychological reasons, eleven years later physical reasons have also become a factor.
So I was wondering: ‘Why did you start running, and why are you running now?’
