Why do I run?

Why DO I run?!  Lots of reasons, really. To eat more, to smile more, to feel more, so I can run more, so I can bike more....I suppose the reason changes depending on the run, or where I am in the run. All of those reasons have certainly kept me running through my 20's and 30's, but now that I am north of 40, I have come to believe that I run now because I can. It surprises me.  I have yet to complete a marathon, but have done half that distance and I am still amazed when I can run longer than an hour.  I am still just giddy that I can pull a 5K in under under 30.  As I run, I can still get misty-eyed at the sunrise or the wonderful view from the top of the hill when I stop to drink my water.  I run for the silence, I run to be with friends and I run to keep up with my kids.  In the end, is i suppose the run is something I have that is mine.  No one sets the deadline and it isn't something I owe.  I just go out and do it, on my own terms. With all the demands of being a mom, a wife, an employee, a volunteer, the run is something that I is consistent and always there, waiting for a reason.  And, sometimes that reason is simply because I feel like running.