Yesterday I ran with the Vero Beach Sun Runners at their annual 10K run. I am always inspired and in awe of all the people who run. Runners are a special breed of people. You can never tell a runner by their looks. We are all unique in our own way. Runners come in all shapes and sizes some are tall, short, thin, overweight, poor, rich, and everything in between.
This is why I love this sport. Some run for competition others for pure enjoyment. Yesterday on the course a 97 year old man ran/walked the 10k race. Yes, you heard that right, 97 years old or shall I say young. It not only inspired me, it gave me hope that I have another 40 years to enjoy running.
Running is a mindset. My ears turn off when I hear people say, “I’m not a runner, I hate running, I have bad knees, and so many other excuses.” Yesterday I didn’t feel like running. I was tired and hurting from the past two days. I ran 3 miles Friday, a 5k Friday night, and less than 12 hours later I ran another 5k Saturday morning, along with the Sun runners 10k Sunday morning.
I was exhausted along with the hot and humid weather all weekend. I could have come up with so many excuses not to run. But I didn’t. If I didn’t run I would have felt more exhausted and depressed. Running keeps me young, healthy both physically and emotionally. If a 97 year old can participate in a 10k race (approximately 6.25 miles) you can too. You are never too old to love or fall in love with the sport of running.