On being active and running : thescruffypirate.org

On being active and running

Yes, another blog post about running and being active. What can I say? I'm a broken record!

I recently linked to a video titled 23 and a Half Hours about how walking 30 minutes a day can drastically improve your life in many different areas and statistically speaking add 3 years to your life. Seriously, if you haven't watched the video I highly recommend it! The last line could really change your perspective on making the effort to move around a little bit.

One of the facts mentioned that isn't given a lot of emphasis was that walking 30 minutes a day can help fight depression. Walking 30 minutes a day (and it doesn't even have to be 30 minutes straight, you could do it in three 10 minute chunks!) can make you happier! How can you say no to that?!

Now in light of my last post and a Facebook status update from this morning, I had more than one person make a remark about how running wasn't their most favorite activity. My friend Bruce (and I hope he doesn't mind me singling him out here) said, "You too? Everyone's into running these days! Well I am holding out. Just like I did with Harry Potter."

Now, don't be fooled, Bruce is a very active person and probably the most gifted athlete I've ever met (do you think he tires of people constantly going on about how athletic he is? Well, do you Bruce?), so he's mostly just being snarky. But I'll bite anyway...

Yes, me too!

But really, running is just my current preferred choice of exercise. In the past I've had lots of other preferences: soccer, roller hockey, ultimate frisbee, slacklining, backpacking and rock climbing to name some of the biggest contenders.

Really, what it mostly comes down to is that I'm happier when I'm very active.

However, running does have quite a few advantages over those other activities:

First and foremost, the wifey loves to do it, so running is something that we get to do together. Often times the highs of my week were the runs I went on with her. Additionally, it seems like most of my friends like to run. So, it is an excellent way to bond with my favorite people.
You don't need anything to do it, it is completely free and you can do it anywhere. As opposed to most of those which require equipment or special places like giant rocks or trees or large open areas.
You can do it alone. While running for me is a very social act, it isn't always, and I really tend to enjoy solo runs.

But when it comes down to it, I think mostly physical activities like running, biking, hiking or climbing have an inherent beauty to them. I like this line from a comment by my brother-in-law on my last post: "For me running is not something I have to be distracted in order to endure. It is something I love for its own sake." There is something about getting out into the world and working hard that just makes you appreciate living more. I've said it before (but apparently not in a blog post, or at least I can't find a reference) but backpacking makes me feel alive like few things in life. But I'd add running, biking and climbing to that short list.

And running is just the cheapest and easiest of those options.

But there is something to be said for distilling being active down to a most basic element. Soccer, roller hockey and frisbee all involve running (mostly speaking), but running is just that: running. You can't take anything away from it. If you go slower it isn't running anymore it is walking. With cycling you have this hunk of metal between your legs. With rock climbing you have to combine so many physical and mental skills with having the right gear and finding the right place. With backpacking you have a backpack and all your gear with you. But running is just you and the ground beneath your feet. What can I say? I love it.

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