mens sana in corpore sano

Whether this perception was justified or not, in the beginning I thought of most people on the outdoor track around Academy as running for health reasons. For the sake of their cardiovascular system, to lose weight, to stay in shape, fit, active. A few, I supposed, were serious about being athletes, training for a race or another, their running imbued with competitiveness and passion.

That most were there for health was an automatic assessment, and I questioned it. Perhaps it stemmed from me feeling out of place among them. As health was not my primary concern, it had to be theirs. Or some other twisted reaction along similar lines.

My considerations of weight loss, not that I don’t entertain them, refer to the esthetic. I am not apprehensive about the state of my blood vessels, I am vain.

If health reasons are involved in my own running, they pertain to mental health. I am running for my sanity. I had the same brief exchange about running with more than one person. When I say I don’t feel well if I don’t run, they infer the sensation is physical. No, it’s mental. My body begs me to stay home each morning and sleep late and forego the pounding. But I have to run. If I don’t, I get depressed.