Exercise Your Freedom...to Run

As we all prepare for our BBQs and fireworks displays this Thursday, we need to remember what the Fourth of July is all about... running.  Okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly what the Founding Fathers were thinking about all those years ago.  But, seriously, what other group better epitomizes what they were striving for?  We are constantly exercising our unalienable right to pursue happiness.  Our reasons for running are quite varied, but at its core each one is based on that pursuit of happiness.  We run to become fit so we feel better both physically and emotionally; we run so we can complete a goal race; we run to enjoy some stress-relieving "me" time; we run to commune with friends.  Ultimately, we all took up running to be happy. 

 

Our Founding Fathers were fighting to be free from the tyranny of an oppressive regime being forced upon them.  That rebellious spirit runs deep in runners.  We are constantly pushing against the entrapment of things that will hold us back.  If you don't believe me, tell a runner they can't do something and watch what happens.  We are constantly pushing.  We push the pace.  We push the distance.  We push right past the pain that "normal" folks would tolerate.  The One Run 4 Boston relay that just completed its transcontinental journey was a collective statement from runners that you cannot stop us... you cannot keep us down.  We are the embodiment of the "we cannot be held back" spirit that hatched a nation on that famous day in 1776. 

 

So, as you're planning your 4th of July Celebration, don't forget to set some time aside to go out and get a nice run in.  Be the embodiment of that "can do" gumption our Founding Fathers used to create this great nation.  Exercise your freedom to run.