Which as it turns out, actually sort of relates to the topic of this post!
Running for health. A lot of people "run for their health". And most of the time, when they say this they are referring to their physical health. They want to lose weight, get fit, stave off a heart attack, or just be prepared for when the zombies show up (the fast ones anyway). I've never run for any of those reasons, except for the zombie thing. And usually when someone makes a comment implying that I must be so healthy because I run all the time, I am quick to correct them by pointing out the poor food choices I made for the previous three or four days, and my sleeping habits, during those times when I am not, in fact, running.
But I think I am going to stop doing that.
I was reminded last week (and this week as well) just how powerful a good run can be for my mental health. That is certainly one of the reasons I run. Whether I am stressed out, angry, grieving, frustrated, anxious, nervous or feeling any number of other negative emotions... being alone with my thoughts on a good run just seems to help me find the center again. And I can do it in public. I can go out with my angry face on, and (I imagine) people just think I'm really working hard. I can have tears and snot streaming down my face and (again, I imagine) that it just looks like sweat and allergies. Or maybe they aren't fooled, and I just look like a nut. Regardless, when I am running I don't actually care.
I'm not saying that's the way it works for everyone. For me though... yeah, I suppose I run for my health. My health and the zombie thing. And occasionally for better standings in online race records. Maybe a few other reasons too.