I have been running for some years now, but I still find it hard. My legs are too short, my pace not fluent enough, and the whole concept of runners high is still a mystery to me. I am not a runner. But still, I run, and this is my kilometre by kilometre diary the last time I ran a half marathon.

Things started off bad

I leave home at 08.30, the race is going to start in roughly an hour. I don’t have a car, and there’s around 5 kilometres to the starting area, so I decide to take my bicycle. But I had a struck of bad luck. I had a flat tire 600 meters away from home on my bicycle, so I had to run back and change to my sons bicycle, and then get to the starting area in time.

When I finally got there, I was very late. The race was going to start in 5 minutes, and still I hadn’t got my chip, I hadn’t changed clothes and I hadn’t warmed up. Shit!

I just threw the bike away, tried to find the chip spot, got the chip, fastened it to my shoelaces, stripped off my clothes, threw them into a plastic bag in a corner, prayed that I would find it again and ran to the starting line.

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Running is good for you, right? At first I thought it was stupid. It was tough, you got sore, and I could find dozens of reasons not to run. But there are also a lot of reasons why running is good for you, and here are 3 of them.

Health

1. Bones
The human bones are made to accommodate the demands placed upon them. When just sitting all day long, at the office, in the car, in front of the TV, we allow our bones to grow weaker. But if you run regularly, they meet resistance, which will lead to stronger bones.

2. Heart
Getting your heart pumping a little faster for let’s say 30 minutes every day, and especially if you also include interval training is something your doctor, and not to forget you, will thank yourself for later. Training your heart and strengthening your cardiovascular system will lower your pulse while resting and sleeping; therefore also make you more fit to handle stress.

3. Balance
When running outdoors, you have to avoid and deal with curbs, dogs, stones, branches and other miscellaneous objects. These changes in direction and speed will strengthen your balance, so next time you stand in front of the door with 3 shopping bags and need to unlock your door with your key, this everyday manoeuvre will feel easier to handle.

Appearance

4. Posture
If you run the right way, you quite automatically will lower your shoulders, use your arms to help pumping energy into your running pace and tilt your pelvis a little forward. All of this will raise your head and prolong your spine. So instead of looking like some sad, bent slave at the office, you are now a runner with your eyes set at the horizon, always looking for a challenge.

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