Why do we run?

Why do we run? On the face of it, that's a pretty easy question; to get fit, to loose weight, to meet friends. This really only takes you so far but anyone who has pushed the limits of their endurance or dismissed the throbbing pain of aching muscles to keep pushing forward knows only too well that there is so much more to it than that.
Our reasons for running are as varied as the runners themselves. They can be intensely personal, driven by a whole gambit of emotions but we all have them, deep down inside and perhaps the only time we ever really find out what they are is when we are faced with that decision of whether to take the next step or not.
Ultramarathons hurt. There is no escaping the fact that at some point during a 50 mile race you will want to stop. Your legs will be screaming at you for rest, your energy reserves will have been long since used up and so the easiest, most sensible decision would be to stop. There will be no great disaster that will befall mankind if you decided not to keep going, no-one is going to suffer as a result and your body will get the rest it is crying out for. There is no shame in deciding to say "enough is enough" after all, many people find the thought of running two miles challenging enough so to stop after 40 miles is understandable isn't it? Why then do we keep going?
This is when we look to our own motivations, our own reasons for taking that next step. These are vital in our ability to move forward, to press on and to finish. When you find these reasons, hang on to them. They are yours and yours alone and will mean nothing to another runner as they are what drives you and what makes you the person you are. They are the only source of nutrition that will never be depleted and are what is left when everything else is stripped bare.

I know what makes me run, I know what I cling on to when everything else is saying stop but they are my reasons alone and so I'm not going to publish them here, they would be diluted as as result and I need them to be clear and strong so that when I need them they will there for me. Keep your reasons to yourself, hold them close to your chest or thrust them deep into your pocket so that when the going gets tough and you are faced with that decision of whether to take that next step you can remember why you are there and why the choice will always be to keep going - to keep running.