I’m 35 and have been running (mostly) since I was in middle school. A few of those years in college and in my early 20’s were sporadic, but I found my way back quickly. And over the years, I have loved running for so many different reasons.
1) I love the satisfied, exhausted feeling of a hard workout or long run, the sweet sting of sweat dripping into my eyes.
2) I love the feeling of my body moving through a controlled tempo — like I’m on the cusp of taking flight.
3) I love that running has given me courage in all other aspects of life.
4) I love navigating across rocks and roots on the trails playing my own adult version of hopscotch in the woods.
5) I love running through the warm rain on a midsummer day.
6) I love running in the moonlight on a crisp evening.
7) I love those nervous butterflies on race morning as I stand around waiting to see what the day brings me.
8) I love the groans of meeting up with friends at some hour before sunrise, secretly happy that we are all in it together.
9) I love pushing the pace a little bit harder and finding my legs are happy going faster.
10) I love the feeling of my heart beating fast after conquering a huge climb, lungs feeling as though they are ready to burst.
11) I love the wild, carefree feeling of a steep descent on a clear trail.
12) I love coming through the arc of the track, leaning to the left as I pick up speed before heading into the straight.
13) I love how confident I feel when I nail a workout.
14) I love when I snap to the present during a run, realizing that I have been lost in my thoughts for minutes, sometimes miles.
15) I love the banter of an easy group run, clicking off the miles with conversations about running.
16) I love the ebb and flow of a long group run, excited and talkative in the first half and camaraderie and steady work in the second half.
17) I love the strength I get from a long, hard solo run when I am the only one who can push myself.
18) I love when running gives me a chance to escape reality when life gets tough.
19) I love how brave I feel when I go after a new goal.
20) I love when I run faster or further than I ever have before and I remember just how far this journey has taken me.
Carissa Liebowitz has run the Boston Marathon as well as dozens of marathons and half marathons. You can follow her running adventures on Strava, Instagram and her blog.
