It occurred to me sometime today that nobody ever asks why I run. I figure it’s because looking at me, an obvious reason comes to mind – to lose weight.

The reason all of this came up is because I ran this morning. Before the sun came up, before the kids got up. Before work and school. And I asked myself, why?

A few things came to mind:

When I reach for a yogurt instead of another blueberry muffin and it’s not just because my intestines envy Jamie Lee Curtis, that’s why I run.

When I see my lumpy nekkid self in the mirror, and think maybe I’m not as lumpy as I used to be, that’s why I run.

When I climb the stairs and I’m not as out of breath as the person behind me, that’s why I run.

When I’m inspired to make a healthy choice for a meal, that’s why I run.

When I feel chest pain and think “I need to do something so I can live to see my kids grow up,” that’s why I run.

When I run out of things to blog about and can put in something as banal as “I ran this morning,” that’s why I run.