Why do people run?
WHY do people run? Why do normally sane people put themselves through the agonies and ecstasy of chasing those endorphins. Mark Le Gassick finds out more with the Bare Necessities and offers some useful bits of advice.
People run for many different reasons. For some, it's the ideal way to keep their weight in check, for others it's the buzz of competition and achieving personal bests and then there are those who run, quite simply, because they enjoy it.
This third reason is perhaps the most important and yet it's often the most readily overlooked. The pressures of modern, everyday life can sometimes lead to our running being relegated to the list of daily chores and our training can become stale, as we find ourselves simply going through the motions.
There is nothing wrong in making the most of the available time or following a schedule, but there is a danger in missing out on one of the things that running should always be - fun. Sometimes, some good old fashioned, unadulterated running, not worrying about things such as mileage, mile splits and lap times, can be just what the doctor ordered.
So, once a week or maybe once a fortnight leave the watch at home, ditch the running shoes, shorts and t-shirt and try running free and unencumbered by the technological clutter of modern life. On second thoughts, perhaps best leave the shoes, shorts and t-shirt on, unless of course, you want to risk stepping on a hypodermic needle or being arrested for offending public decency. But at least you can discard the watch!
Soon you will find that you've forgotten how long, how far and how hard you've been running and because there's no need to keep looking down at your wrist to check on your progress, you'll start to notice your surroundings. Before long, you'll be enjoying yourself and you'll remember why you started running in the first place.
And, best of all, running will become less of a chore and your motivation for training will improve along with your performances.
By Mark Le Gassick.