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When I wake up in the morning and head to the gym or bike path, it’s clear the runners around me have a different agenda. I’m not one of them. There’s not a race to prep for, or weight-goal to meet. Rarely is my running influenced by external factors. The reason why my mornings begin at 4:30 AM is to take control of my life.
In my 20s I lived a very rigid schedule. So much that it felt like I was running on negative time. Waking up was a drag due to staying up late working or being hung-over from a night of making it all disappear. Before getting a clear vision of what needed to be tackled in the 8 — 12-hour span, it was out the door and back to the rat race.
Beginning your day that early probably sounds like a death wish to most people, and it is. Very few runners are up for the most part; the rest of the world is at peace.
There’s a bit of thrill knowing when you wake up time is on your side. After completing your routine and with adrenaline through the roof, the timing is absolutely perfect to plan the day, eat a balanced breakfast and ease into the office.
Running is my therapy; it’s my cognitive cleansing we all need at the crack of dawn. Starting off my day with 30 minutes or more it sets the standard for everything else and aligns my life perfectly for the good and bad that may appear at any given moment.
I don’t plan on slowing down my pace or skipping any days anytime soon. With the control running gives me, there’s no need for coffee, Red Bull, any stimulant. Already, I can’t wait until tomorrow morning when it’s time to take another step in the right direction.
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Browse the over thirty posts we have thus far Good Men Project Sports’ Why We Run Series here.
#33: Now… For Myself Alone <<
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The post Why We Run: Running is My Therapy appeared first on The Good Men Project.
