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Why I Run: Brandon's Blog Posted on January 30, 2014

I decided for this blog to take the spin off as many others of our bloggers and write on why I run. I found this one almost hard to write. I really had to think about why I run. Why is it that I get up before the crack of day light on my summer break, or find my self on the track after a long day of school, most people go home after a day of school and relax or sleep in with their summer break, yet I'm out on the pavement on that grind everyday. Why? I wasn't sure until I thought what would I do if I didn't run? My whole life changed: my friends, my goals, my dreams, and probably my body physique.

 Running isn't just a hobby or a sport for me it's who I am, it's my passion, my love, my everything. Most of the time it's what gets me through a long day of school, knowing that I get to go out and do what I love with my best friends. It's how I connect with the world. As the great Steve Prefontaine said "Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, 'I've never seen anyone run like that before.' It's more than just a race, it's a style. It's doing something better than anyone else. It's being creative." People think I'm crazy for running for fun, but it's so much more than fun. It's a passion. There's just something about getting up and going for a run. It's being on the trails you know like the back of your hand, it's taking that deep breath in and getting that smell and taste of sweat that burns your nose and lungs, it’s the blistering hot days where sweat falls from your face like its rain from a cloud, it’s the runs that are so cold you can’t feel your feet and icicles form from your eyebrows and chin,  it’s logging the miles with your best friends as you fly through the miles with the best therapy session you could ever imagine, it's having your heart racing and legs burning to the point you aren’t sure if they are even still attached to your body, yet you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. It's my sanctuary, my everything.

 I may miss out on many things kids my age get to enjoy for the simple fact of I have practice the next day or need to get in a run. People may make fun of my shorts or tell me running isn’t a sport, but ultimately when it comes down to it, I love what I do and I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Being a runner is who I am and I love it. Running is great and all, but when you fall in love with it and it becomes your everything, then it’s something truly special, it becomes so much more than a simple jog in the park. Fall in love with running, I promise you won’t regret it, Happy running! :)

 *Brandon is an intern for the More Miles More Smiles Team*