Every runner has a story about that race (or training run) that was a disaster. They wanted to quit; they wondered why they started or signed up; they doubted their ability to finish, let alone hitting that goal time. They talked about the conversations, the mental arguments that sometimes occur daily...

Don't be afraid of running. It does love you — even when you hate it. It loves you so much it doesn't coddle you or lie to you. If you don't train, you suffer. And sometimes you suffer even if you've done everything you can to prepare. Running will remind you of your life most days — unexpected headwinds, devastating injuries and disappointing performances.

But if you really commit to it — even smaller distances like a couple of miles a few times a week — it will transform you. The sport that most people say they hate will reveal aspects of you, of your abilities, that you never would have known if you hadn't decided to get out and just run. One day you'll wake up and instead of having that argument about whether or not you want to run, you'll ask yourself how you lived without the run. It becomes the best part of your day and creates the best friends and best moments in your life. All you have to do is put one foot in front of the other even when it seems hopeless, pointless and impossible...

The reasons to run are as numerous as the runners on the road. But my favorite aspect of running is how the sport seems to transform difficult moments into inspiring opportunities.

That hill, that headwind, that unexpected detour — they're all just opportunities to see something different in ourselves, in others and in the world around us.