What’s kind of ironic is how much I used to hate it. My sister Gabriella would always insist that I run with her, but to me it was one of those things were your mind was focusing solely on finishing. When I started playing soccer, however, I pushed myself to run. I wanted to gain resistance to focus my mind less on surviving the game physically, and more on pushing through tactically. So I started waking up at 5:30 am. to go running.
I did it three to four times a week, and the more I did it, the more I got into it. It went from being a sport I considered psychologically draining, to mentally stimulating. I don’t exactly know how or why that happened, but I think it’s somewhat related to two things that Bel Pesce mentioned in her TED talk: “5 ways to kill your dreams”.
The first way:
The reward comes in that it gives me a break from absolutely anything; it allows me to run off stress, watch, and just think. Some people find it lonely, but I find it as my time to be alone. My favorite part of all? When I’m in the last 10-foot stretch of the mountainous curve that leads to my apartment. My adrenaline is spiraling, and I go from sprinting, to jogging, to walking. The feeling of completion and reward in that three point transition is immeasurable.