The Why Of It All

Why? People always seem to want to know the why. Why are you dragging yourself out of bed in the morning to go run ten miles or head to the pool before the sun’s even gotten up. Why? Why do we do it? If you’re training for an event or just training for exercise, the answer is probably so simple to you that you never really had to think why until someone asked you. Even then it was probably an automatic response that naturally came to you.

It could be as simple as “Because”. Let them think about that reason eh! (Thanks Mr Mallory)

If you’re like me there’s a multitude of reasons but there’s always an overriding one, the one that you use to answer the question of “why?”

My go answer is for my daughter, Ava. I want her to see the results of something huge and difficult and to see that by persevering and working for it, challenges can be overcome. Yes, she’s too young right now to realize what Dad’s off doing but when she’s older and long hard runs will take a bigger toll on my body, I want to have something to point to and tell her look at this huge challenge and I worked at it and I got it. It’s important for me that she has an example of the enormity of things that she can accomplish.

A second part of this reason is simply that I want her to have a healthy example of fitness and athleticism she can draw on. So many people leave sports behind when they leave childhood when they don’t have to. They trade practices and games for reality tv and video games. Ok, so I’ll admit some, very few really, reality shows are enjoyable ie Project Runway which my wife and I really enjoy and I did use to enjoy video games but who has the time these days. When I can and where appropriate I want to bring my childhood along with me and for me that involves continuing to play sports.

The other reasons, yes its on my bucket list of things to do, I think its fun, I enjoy it and all that.

But the big reason, the one I don’t tell anyone, the one where I look at my father and draw motivation from to get out and run and bike and swim some more. The big reason is simply that I dread the day I won’t be able to.