Friday, September 2, 2011

What is it about running anyway??

Running is this thing I just can't let go of. I have a subscription to Runner's World Magazine thanks to my mom. They keep writing articles about how 9/11 relates to running and how runners dealt with 9/11 and how people started running in response to the events of that day. So I've been trying to pin down what exactly about running is so emotionally relevant to people. And, actually, why is it such a cathartic activity for me?

Running seems to be the body's natural response to so many stimuli- kids run when they're excited or happy, people take off running often when they are upset or angry, and mobs of people take to the streets and run toward whatever they are mobilized about.

Running seems to be the most natural use of extra energy, a physical restorative, a mental reset button, and an emotional vehicle. To paraphrase Dory, "What do we do? We run. Run. Run."

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