Why Women Run

That's the name of a book Melissa lent me recently - she's been cleaning up their house to make room for BP (Baby Peron). I think the book is a compilation of essays by women runners on the topic of why they run. Just a guess.

Sometimes I ask myself that very question - why do I run? Or, more commonly, in the middle of running, I think desperately, "Why am I running?!!!" Especially on Saturday mornings - when I wake up early, without much energy - and proceed to spend the limited energy reserves I have, dripping with sweat along the canal.

Early in Melissa's pregnancy she cut her running down to 5k then down to walking. She was a bit discouraged about that so I told her I would make sure I keep running while she's pregnant. My own little "Run for Melissa".

When I started out my run this morning it was the perfect morning - just like cottage mornings growing up. There was a cool breeze and the water was perfectly still and you could smell summer in the air.

I passed two asian women with big straw hats fishing in the canal. They were putting their fish in an empty Tostitos bag. I thought, now isn't that practical. Why taunt the fish and keep them alive in a little bucket of water when you're just going to eat them for breakfast anyway? The Tostito bag jumped at me when I ran past it. Yikes.

I thought a lot about the dim sum I'd eat for breakfast later on with Carla. That kept me going on my run I think.

I also passed an older woman probably about 50 or so running along. She was good. I thought, I'm going to run like that when I'm older. I'm going to still be running. I thought of the verse, let us run with perseverance the race that is before us...

I think that's why I run.

Mary