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Hoon's avatar

this post made me think back on what made me re-dedicate myself to running after running away (bad pun here) from it for close to a year. i don't want/need to get into the details, but running, again, started as a way to deal with/get over the trauma i was experiencing at that time.

i am always curious to learn about why people run, and while i haven't heard and read every story, the impetus tends to be associated with negative event/emotion/etc.. i wonder whether my theory is true, and if that is the case, why that is.

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Paul Flannery's avatar

That's interesting. I like to think of running as a positive reaction to a negative set of circumstances. I do get my back up when (some) people say, oh you're just running away from things. Not at all! I'm running toward it, in my own way.

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Hoon's avatar

100%. my running away from running exacerbated things that were already bad, and only when i started re-running, i was able to confront the problem.

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Emmett Freedman's avatar

I think your theory would be accurate for a lot of people. Maybe there are a few out there who just started running one day in gym class and never stopped, but I think the majority of adults who run start doing so for the reason you said above.

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Paul Flannery's avatar

This conversation is worth a deeper dive someday, I'd think. I am always curious why people start running, although I think I'm more interested in why they keep running at this point in my life.

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Hoon's avatar

that's interesting -- in other words, some are literally just "born to run." i.e. they just fell into it & fell in love w/ it, and just never stopped (i'm sure most of them would've been awesome at it), sort of like Paul's uber-fast friend.

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Ian the Canadian's avatar

I like what you’re doing with the free Sunday edition of the newsletter. It strikes a nice balance between enticing people to join and being interesting to read.

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Paul Flannery's avatar

Thanks Ian. That's the hope/goal. Appreciate the feedback.

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LJ Tynan's avatar

I've never done a full marathon but I've run the Houston Half 3 times (well 4 if you count my virtual saunter through the city this January) and I only started running because I had to work the event for 3 years and witnessing the finish line made me want to run it. Reading your recount of finishing the Boston marathon made me miss it SO much. There really is nothing like a finish line roar.

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Paul Flannery's avatar

Never experienced anything like it. It's overwhelming just thinking back on it and that is one thing I miss about bigger road races, as opposed to a smattering of polite applause from the six people working the aid station.

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Gabe's avatar

Wellesley is the spot! Patriots Day is pretty much the one day of the year where that’s true!

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Paul Flannery's avatar

Ha, I have a soft spot for Wellesley since my sister went there. It is an absolutely perfect location though, that's for sure.

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