Bad things happen to me when I don't run

I was going to comment on Christy's plea for help, but decided to just write another post. I've been meaning to do this one for a while. My goals for the holidays were to not gain weight and to run at least a few times. I met my goals, and learned something very important: bad things happen to me when I don't run. To list a few:

1. I get in a very pissy mood. Grumpy, irritable, just an all-around pain in the ass. Nobody likes to be around me and I don't like being around anyone else.
2. I get short of breath going up stairs. Horrible feeling.
3. My heartrate increases and my occasional irregular heartbeat comes back. Another horrible feeling.
4. I get lethargic and have no energy.
5. I feel weak.
6. I get headaches.
7. I feel anxious.
8. My period is much heavier. Probably too much info, but it's true.
9. I have severe cramps and have to take loads of ibuprofen. When I run, I'm drug and pain-free.
10. I get constipated.
11. I feel guilty about eating whatever I want.
12. My sinuses and ears get congested. I can't breathe and I can't hear.

So look at all these bad things! And doing something as simple as running a few miles, however slowly, fixes them all. Thinking about having to deal with all these things is enough to get me going. Funny thing is, I didn't notice I had them when I wasn't running. You gotta' get used to feeling good before you can realize how bad you felt! It's like how smokers don't notice that they can't taste, they can't breathe, they're constantly coughing, their fingers and teeth are yellow, their clothes, car and house stinks, etc, until they quit. Then all of a sudden, they're experiencing a whole new world! You just need to find your way back to our (running) world.

What motivates me the most is anger. Most people would look at me and say I'm the least angry person in the world. That's just because it's my nature to avoid conflict. But it's very easy for me to think about something that makes me angry and that gets me moving. I've got plenty of angry music to help out too. And when I'm done, I feel much better. Kinda' like V's note about banging weights instead of heads. Maybe you need to find something you're mad about and imagine the road is that problem! Pound away!

I also like the quote from Will Smith that I mentioned a while back. All those excuses are the little devil on your shoulder telling you you can't do it. Stand up to him! Here's what I wrote again:

Since I hate running, I've wondered why I do it. I know I have a reason, I just can't put my finger on it. I like finishing. I like the sense of accomplishment. But there's something more I just haven't been able to put into words. I was reading the interview with Will Smith in the latest Reader's Digest and he said something that clicked with me. I think his reason for running is the same as mine:

"Running introduces you to your worst enemy, to that person who tells you, "Ooh, our ankles hurt and we should stop. Why do we need to run five miles? Let us run three." That is the same person who says to the man, "Hey, your wife will never find out if you sleep with her," and the same person who tells the 16-year-old,"You are not gonna be cool if you do not smoke it." If you start giving in to that person, you will never get to your goals."

I think that's why I do it. It's my little way of standing up to the devil on my shoulder.

Lastly, I'll steal a line from the movie Platoon: "Excuses are like assholes, everybody's got one." Get out there and run!!! :)

P.S. I don't want to hear anybody else say they can't run 10 miles! I've never done it, but I know I can. This is an achievable goal. What do those other 30,000 people running this race have that we don't? Nothing. You can say you won't ever win, you can say you won't ever run a 5-minute pace, you can say you'll never run a 50 mile race, but don't say you can't run 10 miles! You've lost before you've started!