Can Running Be a Bad Thing?
In this post, I discussed my reasons for running. However, as with any good thing, I don’t want to take it to an extreme and have it be a negative factor in my life. How does one know when they’ve reached that point? Below are some ideas.
- You run more and/or harder than your body can physically handle and you get injured repeatedly.
- You do it to satisfy a compulsion rather than because you enjoy it.
- You neglect other responsibilities in life due to your running.
- You favor spending time with your running buddies (or online running friends) over spending time with your spouse or children.
- Your identity as a person is tightly connected to your running identity. For example, you think of yourself as a “runner” instead of “a person who runs.”
- When you are sitting in church and should be thinking about spiritual things, you instead are pondering your training plan.
- You have two running blogs. Doh!
- You voraciously read any material you can find on running but don’t always find time to read more important material.
I know, many of these have gray areas that I haven’t considered. I don’t mean to condemn anyone or be too harsh. Many of these I’ve struggled with, as crazy as it sounds. Running can bring such satisfaction to me that I need to be careful not to overdo it.
What are your thoughts on this topic?
May 25, 2010
• Posted in: Philosophical
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