Why do you run?

It is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, and it is as hard as putting one foot in front of the other.  But we love to do it.  Why do you run?  Sometimes I have a running buddy, but most times I run with me, myself, and I.  I am armed with my iPod and my tunes, but often I don't have any ear buds in my ears so I can see and listen.  I soak up the air, listen to the sounds around me that I never get to appreciate because I am always in a hurry to be somewhere, and observe the world around me.  I listen to my thoughts and let my mind wander where it may.  I get a chance to decompress and re energize at the same time. It is a time when no one needs anything from me except me.  It gives me a goal to set, the first of many that I plan to accomplish for the day. I was inspired to write about this after I read about a runner who made it back after his health challenge, and if he can do it, we can too.  His inspiring quote "I run so I don't waste the gift I was given" reminds us that our ability to put one foot in front of the other is a gift.