There are numerous things that I cannot remember when and why I started doing, I just do. But running I know exactly when and why. I was in my second year of secondary school, and we were doing cross country. I’d never been a highly active kid, but it was a nice day, and I couldn’t be bothered to walk it like the ‘cool’ kids did, so I ran.

Turns out I quite enjoyed it, and despite what half the school would tell you, it was lots of fun. Even more shocking to me was that I was actually rather good at it too. That was the day I started to run, and it improved that day tremendously. I went to my next class with a big smile on my face. To this day I’ve never stopped.

I ran at first because it made me feel good. I got faster and people started pushing me faster still. I started to run races, and win medals, and the pushing never stopped. Very quickly I became to hate running, because it was no longer enjoyable, it was a chore and one I had to do at set times, distances, and speeds.

Thankfully, I no longer run for gold anymore, but I still run. Most days I lace up my trainers and go out for a run, and the benefits to me are huge. Getting my blood pumping, clearing my lungs and my mind and making me feel so much better. I don’t focus on running every fast, and don’t set out to even cover certain distances I just go out and see what happens. Despite discovering cycling last summer, nothing has ever replaced the feeling I get from running. It has become part of me, just something I do.

People do ask, but I never have to ask myself why I run. The answer is because I love it.