#whyirun

I’d always have to sleep with a night light

But it had to stay in the hall

No direct light or it was too bright

I couldn’t sleep in complete darkness

It was too unnerving

Maybe just for a little girl

Unsure what laid beyond her bed

But even as an adult

I don’t know what’s out there

What demons try to reach me at night

Or what assassins the world has trained to come after me

I leave the nightlight plugged in in the hallway

If it’s ever off I’ll know

But I never turn it off

If I lay awake at night at least I can see who stands in the doorway when my thoughts haunt me

But in complete darkness I can’t see them

And I’d like to see the face of my destroyer before they destroy me

I always sleep with the night light on

Just so I can see what the world holds for me in my weakest hour

When I’m not at my best and when I’m stripped from my bearings on my knees begging for a way out

I scream till my throats raw and I cough up blood but no one ever comes

I’m on my own

I always was

But I’m alone with my nightlight

And the light makes it less dark

Even when my eyes are shut and the blankets are pulled over my head

My knuckles white and my hands shaking

Even with the nightlight I started learning

It’s not who that will stand in my doorway ready to best me

It’ll be the what that stands there, the next thing to knock me to my knees

I’m so tired of fighting but I promised to never give up

No matter how many knives the world throws at me I want to see it’s beauty

It’s out there somewhere under the coal and the fire

Under the hatred and the lies

Under all that darkness there is beauty

There is light

I always sleep with a nightlight on

So it can remind me what I’m living for

I’ll find more one day

But for now I have my own light to begin my journey

- g.f.

I love to run, and I’m not very good at it... and I think those two things have a lot to do with each other.

I’m a professional chef.  I’ve been in the foodservice industry for almost 35 years.  Although I do not like to define myself by my job, I really do.  Food is what I’ve made my living doing in one way or another, and it is ultimately how I, and others, define me.  It matters how I perform every day and at every event I show up to.  There is a lot of pressure.  I’m cool with that.  I’m good.  I got this.

Not one single person in my life cares if I run, or if I am good at it in any measurable way.  There is absolutely nothing as stake here.

I am 46 years old and I started a serious running practice this year.  I run every day.  I committed to run every day of 2017, at least one mile.  I am trying to log at least 1,000 miles of running/walking this year.

I’m not in shape.  

Last year I lost 25 pounds, which puts me at 5′7″ and 160 pounds.  I’m not a svelte form of grace when I run.  I’d like to be, but that is not the point of this exercise.

The point of this challenge for me is to normalize physical activity, and extend my life.  I want to age gracefully.  I want to continue to do what I do and more.  I want to be strong and able well into my later years (secretly, I plan to live to 120).

So I run.  It’s really hard for me.  It hurts physically.  I have to get up at 3am often to do it.  But I dig it, and I dig in.

I dig it because there are no exceptions here.  No one, myself included, expects me to be of a “professional” quality when I run.  Shit, no one even cares if I run at all.  This whole exercise is beginners mind in action.  

I run because I want to, and it is extending my life, and it is fun.  That’s it... nothing more.

I’m going to run a 10K and a half marathon this year.  Next year I’ll do a full marathon.  No one is watching.  No one has any expectations.  

That alone is pure, unadulterated joy.  I run because I can, and I want to.  I can completely release into it because no one is watching.  I can fail, and succeed, and no one cares.  This is purely me, and my body, and my mind coming into alignment.  Running is a luxury of alignment.

"Why Do You Run? 🏅✨"

Every runner has a story, and every step carries meaning. 🌟 Running isn’t just about crossing the finish line—it’s about strength, resilience, hope, and purpose. 💪❤️

At the Stick to Safety Marathon, we celebrate the stories that move us forward. Share your “Why I Run” journey with us and inspire others to lace up and run with heart. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️