Running has a few meanings for me, time to myself, therapy without the expensive price tag, and to burn some extra energy so that it doesn't become negative energy. Most of all, running to me is Freedom. I love being able to use my body to get me somewhere, I like that it slows me down and I can enjoy the scenery but at a good pace, running gives me a sensation so primal, so wild that my body feels it long after the run is over and a peaceful serenity washes over me. There are so many activities out there but running is as old as time itself, running to survive, running to cover a distance whether it was to find new territories, to keep up with our food source, or running from a predator, or just running for the sheer enjoyment of it. Running is in our blood, and when I run I can almost feel ancestors long dead and gone running with me, and sometimes when out on a trail I can almost see them and hear them. 

     My reasons might be different from others, but during races and group runs we're all together and none that of that matters. Our differences are set aside and we are out there, breathing hard and steady, our footsteps sometimes in sync and sometimes not. Our hearts beat strong, using our bodies to push forward and forsaking all contraptions that have encouraged lazy behaviors in us. Even after crossing the finish line or finishing up the group run, the feeling lingers and I feel empowered. Running gives me an amazing feeling, and there isn't anything else quite like it. Happy National Running Day to everyone.

  If you'd like to, please share what running means to you.

Lol those are good reasons. My running has definitely saved lives, I have to say if I must take a few rest days I have to be careful otherwise I am biting someone's head off.

Running lends creedence ....

Yes, any time you can add classic rock to your senses, it's a good thing.

Run through the jungle?

FreeSoul - Great post. If you don't mind me hijacking your thread, I'd like to add.

Since being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (fibro, FMS) just before Easter this year, running has come to mean something different to me than it used to mean.   I've gone from running 5 easy miles as a short run without even thinking twice about it, to being knocked on my ass after pushing myself too hard on a two mile walk/jog.   My rheumatologist told me that I would have to revise my image of myself as a runner and that I would quite likely be unable to participate in marathons and ultras any more ( not that I'm ready to concede that point to him just yet!).

So why do I keep trying to run?  Because, no matter how little ground I cover during my jogging segments, and no matter how slowly I cover it, every inch, every foot, every yard that I manage to cover in some semblance of something approaching a run, I flip FMS the bird. I can feel, for a minute or two, like a normal person.   I can forget for a while that I wake up tired every morning. That I hurt all the time.  That just going to the grocery store can leave me sweating and exhausted.  While I work to find the balance between what my heart, lungs, and legs say I can still do and what my overactive central nervous system will tolerate me doing, running helps me say a couple times a week, "I may have fibromyalgia, but fibromyalgia doesn't have me!"

LearningDaily - great post, this thread is for everyone to say what running means to them. It is awesome to see all the other reasons that everyone has.

Running means I can drink beer and eat ice cream without looking like this:

 

Pretty sure I saw that guy running on the University track this morning, except he was wearing Vibrams and no shirt.

Thank you all, especially Buelligan.  Today was not particulaly a good day at work (is that even possible) so these few posts were a good end to the day. 

Maybe someday when I am doing 40-50 mpw I can eat just about anything and not worry about being fat.............. but for now I am going to watch what I eat.