When I started running about two and a half years ago, friends and family would often ask, “Why do you run so much?” Well, the “so much” part is of course subjective from your view point. But, to someone who doesn’t run, running any distance can seem like an absurd undertaking.

And Honestly, for the longest time, I never took this question seriously and to be even more honest, I had never thought to ask this to myself. But, on a subconscious level, I knew I was running to get fit or to build a constructive habit, something that could add positive momentum to my daily life.

But still, running was something that I was “just doing”.

So, what changed?

After a little more than two years into my running journey and after having completed a couple of dedicated training blocks, while deep into preparations for one of the races, one of my closest friends (and also my roommate at the time) asked me a question along these lines:

“I see how dedicated you are to this training block, just like the ones before, which is very commendable, but have you considered that this singular focus might be keeping you from giving enough attention to other important responsibilities in life? So let me ask you — do you truly know why you’re doing this?”

This was the first time that question truly struck me. Maybe it was the way it was framed, or the sincerity behind it. Maybe it mattered more because it came from someone whose opinion I valued. Or perhaps it was a mix of all these factors.

I don’t remember exactly how I answered in that moment, but I’m certain it wasn’t a good one.

Before I dive into the answer, here’s a bit of background

I’ve always been active since childhood, playing any sport I could get my hands on — cricket, football, badminton, volleyball, you name it. It wasn’t unusual for me to have a scraped knee or a bruised finger at any given time.

In college, I got into weight training and stuck with it for four years. I watched what I ate, tracked my progress, and actually enjoyed the routine.

Looking back, staying active has just always been a part of who I am. It wasn’t something I questioned.I just enjoyed it.

FEBRUARY, 2022

I had moved to Berlin for a new job. This move to a new country in a post pandemic world had its own sense of adventure. For the first couple of months I was still adjusting to the new way of living and working. All of a sudden there was lots do and lots to explore. Everything was new and shiny. And slowly admist all of this, I had accumulated certain habits which were not very health and fitness oriented. Getting into a consistent routine with food was also something that I strugged with quite a lot in the beginning.

Caught up in the excitement of it all, I just went with the flow. But looking back, I can see how all the “distractions” slowly steered me away from the things that made me feel like myself. And I knew it was time for a change.

JUNE, 2022

I moved out of the temporary apartment into in a new permanent apartment with a roommate who was recommended by one my colleagues at the time. It turned out that we had a quite a few common interests and both of us loved physical fitness (though he was even more into it than I was). As we settled into our new routine, we started bringing fitness back into the mix. There was this unspoken sense of accountability between us, and maybe that was the push I needed to make the changes I’d been putting off.

SEPTEMBER, 2022

September is a special time in Berlin. Fall starts to set in, the days are still bright, the air feels crisp, and there’s a perfect balance of warmth and coolness.

And as a runner, September is even more special as this is the month of the Berlin Marathon, one of the 6 Marathon Majors in the world.

This was the first time I had heard the name “Eliud Kipchoge”, courtesy of the same roommate, who is also an endurance sports enthusiast. After learning more about this absolute legend and being in complete awe of his achievements and his down to earth personality, I was not letting the opportunity to see him live slip away.

September 25, 2022, is a day I’ll never forget. We managed to catch a glimpse of Eliud Kipchoge around the 35–36 KM mark on Berlin’s famous Ku’damm. This is the stage where pacers drop off, and the elite runners are left to push through on their own. Unsurprisingly, Kipchoge was leading the race and was on pace for a new world record. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but it’s burned into my memory and I remember it like this —

“A solo runner, accompanied by the pacemaker car, a live orchestra playing on the other side of the road, a helicopter hovering above capturing every second, and thousands of people clapping and cheering for this one man”. It was a scene straight out of a movie.

Soon after, I rushed towards the finish line, about 10-15 minutes away, hoping to catch one last glimpse of him as he passed through the ever majestic Brandenburg Gate, this time, as the first person to cross a marathon finish line in a world record time of 2:01:09.

Soon after, I met up with friends for a coffee, still buzzing from what we had just witnessed. We hung around for a couple of hours, all while the sounds of cheering crowds and live bands filled the air. As we were about to head home, we decided to take one last look at the marathon, and what I saw next became another moment I’ll never forget.

By this time, about 4 to 5 hours in from the start, many of the runners left on the course were in their 60s or even 70s. Watching them push through those final kilometers was probably the first time I truly saw, up close, what grit and perseverance looked like in the context of physical endurance. And it wasn’t just one or two inspiring runners, there were hundreds, maybe even thousands. I stood there, completely in awe, struggling to wrap my head around what I was witnessing.

Both of these moments were the final push I needed to start something, and that something just happened to be running. It was never the plan, just a happy accident. Even now, I still believe that. Life has a funny way of leading you exactly where you need to be. 😊

OCTOBER, 2022

While visiting India during Diwali, I finally decided to hop on a treadmill. And any illusion that I still had some level of fitness, or that I used to be fit, was shattered almost instantly. I struggled more than I expected and had to resort to a run/walk combo just to get through my first ever run.

Here is how the first run went

 

But Since the motivation was high, I stuck to doing it while I was in India.

Through the journey

After returning to Berlin, I kept up with the runs. Not very consistently in terms of distance or pace, but I just went with whatever felt right at the time.

I joined a group run through Meetup, with my first run happening on a chilly Christmas morning in 2022 :) Through it, I met some amazing people. Not long after, I signed up for my first Half Marathon — the Berlin Half Marathon 2023. Since then, I’ve stayed decently consistent and have done a few races at every distance up to the marathon.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the highs of running — the literal, “runners high” and the other shiny things that come with it.

There’s a saying: “When the sun is shining, you don’t worry about the rain.” Meaning, when everything is going great, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and ride the momentum. But highs don’t last forever, and if you’re not prepared for the downturn, the fall is even harder.

It is also easy to get swept up in all exciting things that running brings — the run clubs, brand events, freebies, social media, keeping up with what everyone else is doing, etc. No one’s at fault for it, it’s just the world we live in now.

The Introspection

After doing a couple of races where things didn’t go as planned and the results fell short of my expectations. Also, Looking back, I can see the mistakes I made during training — whether it was overtraining, not doing enough strength training, ignoring warning signs, or not allowing enough recovery. At times, these missteps left me dealing with minor injuries, either leading up to the race or shortly after.

Anyone who has gone through a training block for any event knows just how much dedication it takes, the daily grind, the sacrifices, and the effort required to show up every single day.

So this was when I started questioning things and paying closer attention, as the lack of progress began to bother me. Maybe this is something everyone experiences when things don’t go as expected. But in a way, it’s a valuable turning point as it forces you to reevaluate, make adjustments, and come back stronger.

But this is certainly true for a physical endurance sport such as Running.

And the question that I was asked, began to surface more and more — “Do you know why you’re doing this?”

I tried to find an answer, and these were the first things that came to mind.

• Health Benefits - Running improves overall fitness and well-being.
• Mental Boost - Releases dopamine and other endorphins, leading to a natural “feel-good” effect.
• Community & Social Connection - It provides opportunities to meet people and build connections.
• Constructive Activity - Unlike many other ways to spend time, running gives you something valuable in return.

Going Deeper

But picture this - the sun is blazing, or it is biting cold, the last thing you want to do is step outside but your training plan demands a 25K long run. In that context, the usual above listed reasons seems unreasonable or not strong enough to get you moving. So I wasn’t fully satisfied with the above list.

While running on days like these, more often than not, there is a voice deep inside which asks, “Why the hell am I doing this?” You can choose to ignore it and just push through, or you can confront it head-on — find an answer and put the question to rest once and for all.

Finally, I decided to look for a deeper reason, what I now believe to be the actual “why?” and the guiding principles to why I run..

The Why

Around this time, I had also started exploring mindfulness and meditation, and I decided to use them as a means to uncover the answer to this lingering question and this is what I arrived at after some reflection.

• Perseverance – When I started running, the first few kilometers felt like a struggle every single time. I dreaded them, but I pushed through. Over time, I realized that if I just kept going, it always got better. So sticking with it, despite the discomfort, taught me the little about perseverance.

• Pursuing Goals – How often do we set a goal and relentlessly chase it? Not as often as we’d like. Running made this process accessible to me. The beauty of setting and achieving goals is that it creates momentum — pushing you forward, driving progress, and leading to continuous improvement.

• No Shortcuts, Only Consistency – I’ve experienced both sides: times when I put in the work and saw results, and times when I slacked but still hoped for progress. Running reinforced a simple truth — there’s no substitute for effort. If you want to achieve a goal, consistent hard work is the only way.

• Daily Discipline – With limited free hours in a day, discipline becomes non-negotiable. You can’t just rely on motivation as it comes and goes. But discipline ensures you show up, lace up, and get the work done, even when you don’t feel like it. Over time, this consistency compounds into real progress.

• Choosing Hardship on Purpose - Modern life is designed for comfort, making it easy to avoid challenges. But by voluntarily doing difficult things, you build mental resilience. Over time, this strengthens your ability to handle real adversity. When life inevitably throws unexpected hardships your way, you’re already somewhat conditioned to push through discomfort instead of giving up. This habit of consistently facing difficulty becomes a muscle, making you stronger in every aspect of life.

• Building a Sense of Accomplishment - Completing your runs—whether daily, weekly, or over months—creates a cycle of achievement. It sets a positive tone for the day, making challenges feel more manageable. When you start the day by conquering something difficult, your mindset shifts — problems seem smaller, decisions become clearer, and everything just flows better.

• Staying Grounded - Running has a way of cutting through illusions of progress. If you haven’t put in the work, your body will remind you—there’s no faking fitness. It keeps you honest about where you truly stand, providing an instant reality check when overconfidence creeps in.

• Emotional Outlet - Running is a powerful way to channel emotions, whether it’s stress, frustration, or even joy. Scientifically proven to be a stress buster, it offers a productive way to process feelings rather than letting them build up. I’ve often used running as a tool to reset my mind and regain clarity.

• Builds Self-Respect - When no one is watching, it’s easy to skip a workout or cut corners. But true self-respect comes from honoring your own commitments, even when no one else holds you accountable. Running teaches you to show up for yourself, reinforcing discipline and integrity.

• Gratitude - Last but not the least, running instills a deep sense of gratitude. For the ability to move, to push your limits, and to experience the highs and lows of the journey. It’s a constant reminder that none of this is guaranteed, and that every run is a privilege, not a given.

Final Takeaways

It has been a significant shift in my perspective on why I run ever since these realizations became clear to me. Before this, as I mentioned earlier, running was just another activity, something new and exciting to try. But now, the reasons run deeper, giving it true meaning and purpose.

All these realizations have one thing in common, they make everyday life better. That’s the underlying theme I discovered through my retrospection:

“I run to live my daily life in a better and more meaningful way. That’s it. Everything else — the fitness, the personal bests, etc, these are just byproducts and not the main reason why I run.”

With that siad, every training block is also more than just a buildup to race day — it’s a learning experience. It teaches you about the sport, how your body adapts, and what works (or doesn’t) for you physically and mentally. But more importantly, it reveals things about yourself: your discipline, resilience, and ability to push through discomfort.

And each cycle reinforces the lessons running has to offer, reminding you why you started, what you’ve gained, and why the process matters more than the finish line.

Now I think of running as “the answer” to a lot of asked/unasked questions. It’s like a silent teacher, revealing insights you didn’t even know you were looking for. And once you understand why you run, it transforms from just an activity into something deeply personal, fulfilling, and, more importantly, sustainable.

I can’t say for certain how long I’ll continue running, but I’m incredibly grateful for this unexpected journey. It has become a meaningful part of my life, and I always try to remain mindful of what a privilege it is to be able to move, to push myself, and to experience the countless lessons running has to offer.