Is running fun.

What kind of people run.  What kind of person am I?
There are people who run to lose weight, to have a healthier life style, to relieve stress, to clear their minds.  I run because I want to fly.  I want to run fast and have the feeling that I can run forever.  That feeling is called "being in the zone".  Most of the time, it's work.  I'm tired, I'm sore, I'm playing mind games to get through the workouts.

Why do I run?  It's definitely not fun...when I'm not in the zone. 

When you're a kid, kids have goals.  To get through Grade 1...to get through grade 2...to learn to read, to learn their multiplication tables.  To get their driver's licence...etc. 
At my age, after having finished school, bought a house, a car, have children..get married and divorced...you need goals to make life worth living.  One of my personal goals is to run Boston.  To get there, I have to train hard.  HARD.  It's not fun.  It's a lot of work.  It requires a lot of mental toughness.  For example, who in their right mind would go out in -28C arctic weather with just tights, a long sleeve shirt, run jacket, trail shoes, a baseball cap and ear muffs?  Someone with the big goal to qualify for Boston.  That's who.  Most people...meaning the non-runners would be sitting inside drinking warm cocoa or still asleep in their beds. 

Why do I run?  Because after giving myself to my kids as a mother...to my students as a teacher...to their parents as an advisor...I give and I give.  Running is the only thing that I do that is for me.  Something I do that benefits me.  It is something I do that makes me a more disciplined person.  A healthier person and an athlete.  When people ask me how many days I run in a week...I answer with "I don't run on Sundays."  Do I call myself a runner?  You bet I do.