No, you cannot call me Forrest Gump, but I kind of feel like him because I've become a running fool. I'm not fast, but I love to do it.

All through junior high and high school I went out for sports and absolutely hated them. Practices sucked, and I dreaded the end of the school day because it meant running, running, running. I hated that pressure on my lungs as I gasped for air or the stitch in my side or the burn in my thighs and calves as they begged me to stop pushing them so hard. So naturally I was pretty sure I would never like exercise. I knew it was something I needed to do to be healthy, but I never really had a motivation because I'm naturally pretty skinny.

However, a few weeks ago, I started to feel this crazy urge to go for a run. I kind of fought it because of my past experiences with physical exertion, but after a week of denying it, I gave in. My "boss" let me go from work early one night, so I headed to the campus recreation center (referred to as "the rec" from now on), iPod in hand, to get the urge out of me.

Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled that I actually wanted to do a physical activity, but I wasn't looking forward to the inevitable pain that would come after running for about a minute. I mean, I hadn't done anything remotely close to exercise for about a year and a half, so surely I wouldn't have a lot of stamina.

So I got on the indoor track and started running. However, the pain I was waiting for, though it came to a degree, wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. Hold the phone....I was actually enjoying my run. It felt really, really good. Listening to some great music on my nano only added to the enjoyment, and certain songs made me want to run longer or harder.

As I was running, things became clear, and I realized I was liking it because I was running for me. I wasn't running to please my coach. I wasn't running to make the team. I wasn't running because I had to. I was running because I wanted to, and that made all the difference. Plus, I controlled the work out. If I felt tired, I could stop and walk. If I wanted to run longer, I could run longer. It was completely in my control.

Oddly enough, though, I hated running when I went home for Thanksgiving. I didn't have an indoor track like up at school, so I just ran the streets, and it seemed so much harder to do. It wasn't hard to get up and start, it just felt physically harder to run outside. Obviously there are hills and such, but even running on the high school track seemed difficult. I hope that changes as my stamina increases.

Exercising for myself is a totally new experience for me, and I absolutely love it. I hope this isn't a phase I grow out of. I've only been doing this for about two weeks, and already my life feels so much better. I feel more confident, I feel happier, and I don't eat as much junk food because it negates all the good stuff I accomplish at the rec. This can only lead to more good things.