Mystifying

Weirdly, I have some very good friends that love running. They get up early in the morning and run. Oh, also, some family members enjoy it a lot. What is the appeal. Actually, I might get it, but maybe I don't know why I really can't get "into" it? I think I understand the short distance appeal. I have certainly had the urge to run. But I am not that person who wants to run all the time for long distances.

I have met people who told me that running is actually quite bad for your internal organs, especially if you are a woman, and I could believe it.

If you labeled an exercise box "Running" I would gladly kick it. Actually, that's the only time it makes sense to run a lot, is if you have something to kick or hit. (Soccer, tennis.)

Another thought I had about running was...maybe it's the idea of running and getting shot. You ran, you got shot, you died. You could not miss that bullet. Failure! Death! Running just feels terrible.

One time when I was much younger, I ran on the treadmill for 17 minutes straight (i.e. without slowing down) It took me a while to work up to that. Afterwards, I thought, this is great. I will run for 20 next time! Never did. I have been on a treadmill longer, but I would run for a few minutes and then walk.

I feel like if you think you are a runner, you run for a whole hour, without stopping/slowing down/walking.

It almost seems like it's bad for the internal organs and lungs to run that much. I wonder if I would be able to get a doctor to confirm this.

I feel like I would like to see what other people see in that activity.