Why Do This To Myself?

There are many people I know who say running is crazy. And they are right, to a point. Why run? Why put myself through the strain and stress of running any further than across the street? Aside from the number one rule in a recent movie (rule #1: Cardio), I run because every time I do I learn something more about myself, about my body, about my mind and about the commitment I have to a dream. It is not always something good that I learn about myself, but even this seemingly negative information is enlightening and can serve to strengthen my mentality for the next run.
I don't run to win, at least not at the point I am in my running career (if it can be called such right now). I don't even remember the last race I won, it was sometime during my senior year at Anadarko High School but that was over a decade ago. So there remains the valid question, especially in our competitive society; Why? Because I can. Because once you break through the wall your inner critic places before you and prove that negative voice wrong, that you are capable of so much more than you think, then anything is possible. You become a better person. More confident. More at peace with yourself and your capabilities.
I run because, like kids on a playground (at least when I was growing up) it makes me feel good. Because it makes me smile, and laugh, and sometimes ache. Because it was something I, and each of us, was born to do.