I recently got the bug to register for yet another marathon this September. I have run four since 2004. I got the bug in my mid twenties when I first moved to Seattle - one of the running meccas around the world.
If you told me when I was a teenager that I would grow up to become a marathoner jaw would have hit the floor. I had childhood asthma growing up you see, and didn't out grow it until I hit my late teens. Running was something I simply thought I "wasn't meant to do" growing up. I was a healthy kid otherwise but running? No way...
This last year I did take some time of to slow down though. I wanted to take make more room to focus on my newly discovered Ashtanga practice (I fell in love with Ashtanga in 2007) and to do a little soul searching as to what was really behind all of this marathon business. What I eventually found was a softer, gentler, self-accepting side to Joy that had begun to recognize that I had been using running as a way to feeling empowered, confident and... to avoid dealing with some deep rooted issues; Or lets say... I was "running away" from some issues. 
Once I felt I had worked through what I needed to work through, what recently pulled me back to my running passion was the fact that my "soul" truly missed it. Not only did I miss the feeling of the wind against my cheeks and the feeling of flying on land... but I was missing it spiritually. I had even started to dream every other night about running - running on the beach, through the woods, through the city... loving every moment. So about six weeks ago I strapped on my running shoes and hit the ground. After that first run after despite a eight month hiatus I felt invigorated and so wonderful that I couldn't imagine I had stayed away for so long.
Don't get me wrong... I love my yoga practice and I need my practice like I need air to breathe. But what I have finally mastered is bringing running into a balanced life, and it feels amazing.
So... the next question I asked myself - why do I feel compelled to compete in marathons? Well.. what I figure the best answer I have to that question is, is that marathoning is a way I enjoy intergrating my mind and body. It allows me to take it back to a more primative state and I have found it to also be a form of meditation.
Plus, for someone with a heavy Kapha Dosha like myself, I think running is the yin to my yang. 
Edited by: Joy Jackson, Life & Wellness Coach on Jun 25, 2008 8:53:53 PM
