why?

one of our runners said:

so I am thinking I am needing some sort of motivation to actually run on Saturdays. I know I can always go back to sleep when I am done, but it really is the only day I get to sleep in, and even now, I have a hard time getting up an hour before going to work.

watcha got?

Well, believe me, I wouldn't be getting up to run if people weren't counting on me to be there. I'd run later in the day, despite the heat, because I'm just stupid that way. But I would also run the risk of not running at all.

I think you have to figure out what you want from running. If you just want the social aspect, then sleep in, and just come out on Wednesdays. You can run 3-4 miles on your own for simple conditioning anytime.

But, if you decide you want to be a better runner, or you want to set and meet a goal, you have to get to the point where you embrace the difficulty. You might eventually find that you like things about getting up early and running, but let's face it, getting up is always going to suck for most of us.

But the twisted thing is, that's why we run, because it's difficult. Why a spoon and not an axe? Because, you twit, it'll hurt more (let's see you name THAT movie, Rowdy). Winning and getting good times and personal records don't give as much lasting pride as knowing you accomplished something in spite of it really sucking for you. It's a constant test, a very real way to find and expose your strength. You don't get that unless it's difficult.

Now, there's obviously no need to go crazy with it. So, in this case, I'm putting this weekend's run at 7:30, not the 6 or 6:30 that most running groups would be starting at. But there's just not another good way to do it, unless we do it at night, or at midday and just commit to people, you know, dying and what-not.

Yes, this is a bunch of rah-rah, but it's true, and I think it has to be true for someone to commit to training and getting anything out of it. You have to turn the corner of seeing the value in dragging your tired butt out to run a hard workout after a long day at work. You have to see that there's personal glory in getting up at the a**-crack of dawn to go run farther than most people ever will. Anything else I or anyone else provides you for motivation will eventually fail, unless you're doing it for a cause. Even then, for people that do athletic events to support causes, it's the difficulty of the event, or at least of getting off the couch and participating, that makes the event a good and meaningful medium for that support.

It doesn't always come right away. It took me awhile to get completely committed, and it ebbs and flows. But many of us have, whether we all realize it or not, already made this running thing a lifestyle. It gets easier, partially out of habit, but mostly from coming to understand the real value of it.

I say try to stick with it. When your mileage hits certain point, I think it will all hit you. If not, maybe running just isn't the right challenge to motivate you. But I hope it is.