why we do this....

so i've been thinking since my last post about the question, "Why do we do this?" In my case and other endurance atheletes, i am referring to the idea of training for months on end just to show up one day and put your body through an event that pushes your physical and mental self to its very end...only to receive a medal or a shirt or in some cases a nice shirt or a nice medal...and 99% of the time we pay to do this.

this is an easy question for me to answer, but it's not an easy question or answer for most people to understand...the problem is perspective. For example, I don't understand why people smoke cigarettes. But when I ask smokers why they do it, most of them are slightly angry by the question and take offense to the question...most of them follow with an answer like, "I can't help it," or "I'm addicted," or "I know, I'm trying to quit." All answers suffice to answer my question, although being a non-smoker, none of the answers convince me of thinking that smoking is good for them, or good for me for that matter.

Now, back to my original question. If I were to answer the question, "why do you want to run for 12 Hours?" with "I can't help it" or "I'm addicted" or "I know, I'm trying to quit," I don't think people would accept it and i wouldn't be happy with giving that type of answer. The fact is that, this endurance stuff is an addiction, but unlike smoking, it is something that i love. it is a passion so i would want my answer to be better and i wouldnt want to get angry about the answer as well. Even after i explain this to people, they look at me with as much confusion as i have when i talk to a smoker...I mean, I love getting to the end of a run soaked in sweat, with my quads aching, calves cramping, shoulders aching, dehydrated, lightheaded etc....wait maybe i do understand why people dont understand...

countdown: only 5 days until 12 Hour Children's Hospital Run
www.stjudeheroes.org/users/rundure

later.