Hooray! It’s time for Fit Five Friday! Your five amazing hosts – me, My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Runs with Pugs, Zenaida are here to make your Fridays fun!

Of course it’s almost Valentine’s Day so let’s talk about our LOVE of running once more, shall we? (I mean, can you really talk about running too much??)

Five Things I Love About Running

Almost Anyone Can Run

What do I mean by that? Well, young, old, any gender, non-gender, fat, thin, short, tall, you name it. Running is something anyone can do, and you don’t even need to be “good” at it. You don’t have to join a team to do it. You don’t need special equipment (though the right shoes and clothes that are comfortable and appropriate for the weather are pretty dang handy), you can do it night or day, indoors or out, at the gym, at the track, on the street, in the park, on the beach, on the trails… the list is endless.

And I say anyone. can run because there are even wheelchair runners (who’ve the upper body strength of an AfricanElephant) and, as we all know, incredible blade runners out there as well.

The Only Competition is You

I know some runners beg to differ as people are competitive (that’s a fact), but for many, the only person you ever have to worry about is you. For me, achieving personal goals was more important that being as “fast” or as “good” as other runners. We are all different, we all have different abilities, different shapes and sizes, different challenges… so comparing or trying to be like others simply isn’t necessary. I remember when I first started running and how great it felt to go faster, further, to keep hitting my own milestones. Amazing feeling!

Freedom

I love the absolute freedom that running gives me. Especially when not training for anything; to just go and get out there, decide on the way which direction I’ll head, how long I’ll run and maybe even stop to enjoy the nature around me. There is nothing like soaking up sun and blue sky enjoying life around you!

The Mental Aspect

The ability to just let go of alllll the crap from the day/ week / month is part of why I love running so much. And honestly I think it ties into the feeling of freedom as well. Because what is more freeing than being able to leave a tough day or hard emotions on the pavement or trail?

Community

I really can’t say it enough – and I think everyone agrees – the running community is incredible! My first experience with a running club was actually through my home insurance company (they used to be a big sponsor of events in the Netherlands and would often offer entries to their customers), then my previous work (where I became the club coordinator), then I joined a big Facebook group where I met so many wonderful runners (and had various meet-ups around the world), then my local club. And obviously the blogging community and how we support each other is just awe-inspiring!

I’m so lucky now to have my parkrun community, because even if I’m not running much at the moment I still feel like I belong!

What do you love about running?

I’m not running much, but it still defines me

It may sound strange, but I’ve only been running nearly 15 years now but those years have truly been some of the best of my life. It has brought me so much pride, joy, excitement, challenge, and experiences that I otherwise never would have had. And it has brought me friendships and a true feeling of accomplishment that I personally only had one other time in my life prior to when my running affair began.

Join the Fit Five Friday Link-up!

Here are the guidelines:

• Your link should center around some kind of fitness (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… the possibilities are endless!)
• Please link back to your hosts! It’s the right thing to do! 
• Share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!
• Feel free to share about Fit Five Friday on your social media! Tag #FitFiveFriday to get the word out!

Here are the guidelines:

• Your link should center around some kind of fitness (exercise, wellness, mental health, nutrition… the possibilities are endless!)
• Please link back to your hosts! It’s the right thing to do! 
• Share the link-up love by visiting and commenting on your hosts and at least two other Fit Five Friday bloggers!
• Feel free to share about Fit Five Friday on your social media! Tag #FitFiveFriday to get the word out!