Running

Why do people, like myself punish their bodies so they can get in shape or do something really crazy like run 26.2 miles. I ask myself that question everyday and get ask that question just as often by random people and friends. The only thing I can answer I can tell them is "I'm not sure I just do." The past month or so I have been training for my first marathon, it's on my life list, anyway, the past two weekends I have had to run in double digits for runs and after 2 miles I feel my body really warmed up, after 5 or 6 miles I feel great and start running like a mad man. About 8 miles I start asking myself "what the hell am I doing?" I keep going cause I have a goal in mind, running and completing this marathon and my 5000 mile goal in two years. So why do I run? Its my drug, I feel like crap on the run itself but then when I finish I feel like I am on top of the world, for about 15 minutes then the pain comes. So to my fellow runners out there, RUN cause in the end of the day the only real question you have to answer is your own.