"Seriously? Why?"

Those are the questions my sister asked me last night when I told her that my event next weekend was a 50-miler. So during this morning's run, I mulled over the question of "Why?" and came up with the following reasons.

Because it's a challenge - Imagine if I said, "Next weekend, I'm walking to the end of the block." Big deal right? But what if I said, "Next weekend, I'm walking to the end of the block on stilts blindfolded while balancing a bottle of Bacardi on my head." Now that's a little more interesting because we've upped the ante. It's obviously more difficult so you can't help but wonder if I could actually do it. You might even think, "I need to be there to catch that Bacardi because I know she can't do it."

We all take on personal challenges. They may not be as extreme as climbing Everest, but we all do things that test our limits. It could be trying to get to the next level of a game, earning a black belt in martial arts, or snowboarding down a black diamond without falling. It's the same thing with running. I pick a goal that's a bit out of reach when I go into it with the hopes that I can overcome obstacles and actually cross the finish line. Any time I set a goal to do something difficult, I always learn a little more about myself. It's not always a pleasant learning experience, but hopefully I've put those lessons learned in my back pocket for the next time.

Curiousity - It always begins the same way:
 
I wonder if I could finish a 10-miler?
 
A half-marathon is only 3 miles more miles. I wonder if I could do it?
 
I've run a few halfs, I wonder if I could finish a marathon?

Remember when you were a kid and you'd try to hold your breath while going through a tunnel? Even if the tunnel went on f-o-r-e-v-e-r, I'd count the number of seconds and try to hold my breath longer than the last tunnel. There was no prize involved, but it satisfied my curiousity. As adults I think it's important for us to keep that childlike curiosity alive. Too often we get bogged down in reality or let the fear of failure keep us from exploring new adventures. So what if I never win a race. It's FUN. Part of what makes it fun is not knowing whether I'll succeed. Don't you ever miss the rush from trying something impossible and ridiculous? Have you ever experienced the thrill of actually accomplishing something you once thought was out of reach? Give it a try. There's no substitute for a rush of adrenaline.

To fight demons - My demon comes in the form of an overweight, out-of-shape teenage girl. She wears baggy clothes and often shops in the boys' department because she's uncomfortable in her own skin and would rather disappear into the crowd. I've managed to keep her at bay most of the time, but she occasionally rears her chubby face with a gallon of ice cream in hand. While she never mocks me, she does push me to keep moving forward when I think about how she struggled to run a mile in high school. I've heard of others who run to fight addiction to drugs or alcohol. Running gives them a sense of purpose, a focus that they pour their energy in to.

Demons come in forms you wouldn't expect. Someone I know runs because her friends didn't have the confidence to believe that she could finish a marathon. Another person I know runs because she wants to avoid the health problems that the rest of her family has surrendered to. They tell her that she's wasting her time. Great support group huh? Running serves as an escape, even if temporary, from the things in our life that we can't always control. That chubby teenager I was didn't have the confidence to tackle new challenges. Fear of failure and rejection kept her from accepting who she was for years. These days she's still a slow runner, but she's mustered up the courage to say, "Screw it." and at least try.