Engineered to Run

When I posted the introduction to this series of posts a little over 4 weeks ago, I made two statements that I knew even as I wrote them might turn out to be contradictory: that I was hoping to publish a post every few days, and that I was going to talk about some personal things that would be uncomfortable to write. I posted part 1 a few days after the introduction, and I actually wrote a decent chunk of part 2 just a couple of days later. Then the timeline came to the part of the story where it got uncomfortable for me, and things ground to a halt. I've really struggled with exactly how to write the second half of this post for weeks now, and even as I finish it off today it is extremely difficult for me to actually post it. Ultimately, this is the story that I want to tell. Not because it's overly unique or special, but for exactly the opposite reason. While my struggle is my own, the truth is that we all have our own personal battles. I am a strong believer that the more we...

When non-runners hear that I spend much of my leisure time running for hours and hours on end, the responses typically fall into one of two general categories: "That's really amazing!", or "Why in the world would you do that?" In this post, I'm going to examine that question in two different ways. The first angle pertains to the internal factors that provide my drive and motivation towards running in general. As I move through that idea, the focus will eventually shift to the specifics that contributed to me choosing this particular challenge. The answer to the question, "Why do I run?",  is one I have spent a lot of time thinking about, and even after many hours of contemplation, I'm still not 100% sure of the answer. At the most basic level, I can certainly give some obvious answers. It keeps me in shape and boosts my energy levels, which in turn makes me feel better about myself. It forces me to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, something...