High Brain Mileage

Why I love and Hate Running

By Coach E. Allen Founder of Atlas Pro Training LLC in Orlando Florida

I hate running but I like finishing a run. My relationship with running is complicated, and it started when I was a chubby kid in northern Indiana around the age of 13. I was in the 7th grade and it was my first year playing tackle football or really any football for that matter. I was close to 160-170 lbs and the PE coach talked to me about trying out so I signed up having no idea that the amount of running that would be required because if I did I would have taken a pass and probably been on another totally different path. Mind you if you lived in the Midwest the sports climate in northern Indiana at that time was dominated by Notre Dame football and it was a cool sport to play even though it was in a state known for all things basketball. But let’s get back to the chubby kid who had no idea of what he was getting into. The first day of practice was a rude awakening, up to that point I had no problem running, but pre-teenage years I was very active and 45 lbs lighter and did not have a lust for cookies and loaves of bread (yes I said LOAVES). So I did not think anything of it when the coach said everybody in the corner of the end zone for two laps around the field before the stretch. So about 1/4 way through the two laps my mind started running my chest and legs started to burn, and I stopped to walk so I could remain standing. As a big kid growing up running just for conditioning made me angry lol, and I believe that pissed a lot of my coaches off. Now fast forward 30 plus years I now run for as a stress release and for peace (but not any distance over 3 miles). Come out and join the I Hate Running crew we run for every reason imaginable other than just for the fun of it. We try to run at least once a week mostly on Sundays.