So I decided to sit down and write my main reasons for running the marathon (or running in general)
1) Loose weight/Fitness: This one's obvious. My main motivation when I first started running about 2 years back was to loose weight. And running gives you the most "bang for your buck" in terms of burning calories. Since then, I have lost about 40 lbs, gained back about 5 but still, a net of 35lbs ain't too shabby. And it's an excellent way to stay in shape and get a good cardio workout.
2) Eating without a guilty conscience: Averaging 20-30 miles/week means you are burning 2000-3000 calories. That's a lot of beer/pizza/chocolate!
3) Bragging rights: Rest assured, the day I finish my first marathon, I am going to be dropping the following sentence atleast once a day: "So when I ran my first marathon...". Ofcourse, being in Portland, this is just going to sound lame since every second person you meet here has finished a marathon and is probably better than me. But I can always move to Alabama. Or Mississippi.
4) Taking long lunch breaks: I normally do my weekday runs during lunch time. And going for 6-8 milers followed by a shower and I am away from my desk for a good 1.5 hours, 3 times/week. But my manager knows I am training and he is OK with it. Atleast for now.
5) Improved Vocabulary: Running comes with its ugly beast...running injuries.But you get to learn cool new words like the Illiotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS), plantar fasciitis, runner's knee, Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (MTSS)/shin splints, etc. Throw these words around in your daily conversation and you'll sound totally legit.
6) You join an Elite group: Acc. to the 2009 numbers, only 0.15% of the US Population completed a marathon. That's some pretty elite company! Source
7) You start noticing the topography: After I started running , I have caught myself on more than one occasion looking out for running paths and elevation changes whenever I am in a new neighborhood. My reactions go from, "Oh, this would be a cool neighborhood to run through" to "Oh God! getting over that hill is going to suck!"
8) Meet new People: I have met a lot of new folks since I took up running and made some great friends in the process. Ofcourse, you also come across the weird ones...people who drink these nasty, moldy protein shakes ( I am talking to you Jim Nau!)*
9) Battle Scars: It's not everyday where broken toe-nails, blisters and bloody nipples make you happy. Us runners take a certain masochistic pride in them!
10) Everyone's a Winner: Running is one of the few sports where everyone is a winner. Literally! Doesn't matter if you come first or last, everybody gets a finisher medal. And I guess this is one of the most difficult concepts for people to grasp (or atleast for my friends and relatives back in India). This is a typical conversation I had when I was in India last month:
Them: So, it's a race?
Me: Yeah, I guess so.
Them: Are you going to win?
Me: Not really. The first person will cross the finish line in ~2 hours. It'll take me double that time.
Them: So, what's the point of doing it then?
Me: Because...I shrug my shoulders and shake my head as I walk away
And then I came across this beautiful gem on the Internet, "Those Mad People Who Run" [PDF] written by Uruguayan runner, Marciano Duran. If you have ever run a race, I would highly recommend reading it, 'coz you'll be able to relate to all of it.
My favorite part is:
"They enjoy the start, they enjoy the run and when they arrive to the finish line they enjoy lifting their arms because they say they have succeeded. That they have won again! They don’t realize they barely lost by a hundred or a thousand people... but they insist they have won again. They are lunatics." ...
..."They hang their medals around the house where guests can see them and ask about them. They are not well. “This one is from last month” they say trying to use their most humble tone. “This is the first one I won” omitting to say that it was given to all runners, including the last one, and the transit inspector. "
* Jim is a total bad-ass, but he is also from Ohio, so it's OK to hate on him.
