Don't ever forget why you became a runner

This evening I had a short run, just a couple of miles.  Not fast, nothing spectacular at all.  The route was around our neighbourhood and included four times around a block.

The amazing thing was remembering the time when I started showing signs of becoming a runner and plodding around the same streets and weighing three stones more than I do now.  Apart from the weight slowing me down, I was just so incredibly unfit to the point where I look back on myself then and feel ashamed.

That was in 2008.  I was stressed out because of work and found it difficult to cope at times but something turned those worries into a desire to shake myself upside-down and inside-out to become a runner.  Since then I have run thousands of miles, cycled even more, blogged endlessly about both and absolutely loved it.

So this evening in the frosty, damp, dark streets in my neighbourhood I felt so thankful for being able to become a runner.  Yes I'm even thankful for all the hassle that caused me to take up running and to keep me going ever since.

Two questions:

1. If you are an existing runner, do you remember why you became a runner?
2. If you are NOT a runner, does this help in any way?

Related:
Rising above self doubt