Has Running Changed Who You Are?

When I was 180 lbs in college, I used to drive a quarter mile from my apartment to the dining hall to get two philly cheese steak sandwiches and two large drinks every day. I would sit and watch tv and listen to music and I thought I was in heaven. Walking was out of the question, even on a nice spring day. Deep down, I knew I was a huge hypocrite, because I was surrounded by mountains and rivers and beautiful wildlife that I adored inside but never ventured outside. I also was surrounded by a bunch of city slickers at the local University that never noticed any of that, no matter how much I preached to them that a good time doesn't necessarily need to include a two story shopping mall or booze. "Look around you" I would exclaim with such conviction. Yet, I never did myself.

I also remember taking a personal wellness course that required you to log a certain amount of time each week for credit. All you had to do was lift weights, run on the T Mill (which I still refuse to do instead of going outside), or play basketball. I had an entire semester to complete it.
I made a B in that course because of it. I also remember my BMI and my REAL AGE tests telling me I was fat and about 29 (I was 22). Yikes!

Walking anywhere was a pain in the ***, even on a nice day. I just wouldn't do it. Now, I purposely park as far as I can from the entrance to stores just so I can get in a 10 second run to the door. Same with the mailbox. Oh...and my regular 25 mpw

In my mind, this is an amazing transformation! It also has done a lot to strengthen my character. I'm more confident than I've ever been, and it has given me the courage to do things I wouldn't have done before, such as oh say...getting two tattoos and shaving my head? I've had a tendency in the past to start things and never finish them. When I started, I wanted to lose three or four pounds and NEVER thought I'd actually be able to do that, let alone stick with it for eight months...

I also feel more at peace with myself. I'm not self conscious like I used to be, and, for some odd reason, I developed about 100000% more backbone than I ever thought I'd have. I think all of this is due to the fact that I'm active, and there are certain biochemical things at work. Somewhere inside of me, a switch has turned ON. That switch, (labeled LIFE) has been turned off for the past quarter century. I'm just glad that I found running, it has done more for me than I ever imagined.

So what has running done for you? Are you more confident? Do you feel younger, brighter, more energetic? Maybe even an increased libido capacity? Once you get out there, and get active, IMHO, the world is YOURS.