well....I use to do it "just to stay in shape" inbetween out door racquetball tournaments while still playing basket ball and such. However, it was in 1999 when I tore my achilles tendon while playing indoor volleyball and was laid up for 13 months that I decided that I should stay away from lateral sports. So, my MD sez...ride a bike or get into swimming...and I replied: I think I'll try running....which was 8 years ago and I just love it. 

Here's a url that might help clarify: http://www.athlinks.com/racer/14576946/Jim-Pijloo.aspx

Jim;)

For me it started with trying to lose weight for wrestling:( , then I slowly started adding miles. When it came to the mile run required for highschool I had one goal, beat a fellow student who looked at himself as kingpin. I destroyed him and was truly proud of myself and I never felt as alive, I could have ran several more miles. My goal was set 1 5K in the coming summer. It eventually transformed me into running 2 5K's, 2 10K's and 1 Half-Marathon. Determination is what pushed me and kept me driving on towards only success. My goal for the half was 2:00 and I shattered that with 1:40:34. I have a picture frame of me crossing the finish line and everytime I look at my spirit is shot skyward. Thats why I started running and still continue with hopes and dreams of crossing the finish line of a Marathon in my near future. By the way I am only 15 years old and hope to carry this one great essential to my life until my death!!!

B.A.R.

I originally started to run in June of 2007.  I just completed my junior year of high school. I was 5'8 and 170 pounds.  So yeah, a little overweight.  I played soccer and had good skills, and was known to be a very solid soccer player on my team. But, I wanted more; I wanted to play the position I could never play...midfield.   I started to run 4 miles five days a week (20 miles a week) in addition to playing soccer three days a week and swimming daily.  I felt that if I could do this before soccer season started in mid-August, I'd be able to get into the shape I wanted to. And, I did! I lost ten pounds that soccer season, and was able to play midfield. A

After soccer, I concentrated on basketball and probably lost some of my physical fitness. In December of 2007, I badly sprained my ankle, to which I felt was due to a lack of physical fitness.  I played through most of the season with immense pain. But, when my ankle finally healed in March of 2008, I set my sights on a run that I admired...a  local 10 mile run.  My goal in March was 88 minutes, and I finished in 78:31.  I then did two half-marathons that summer (by myself and timed them with my car's odometer!) in times of 2:01 and 1:51.  Now, I want more, and am hopefully marathoning soon :-). There is nothing I would rather do now than run. It's a new challenge for me and a way to stay in shape. It's a symbolic, as I believe running is a sport where we are physically (and literally) getting away from our troubles, problems, or setbacks and running to our goals in life (a promotion, sub 3 hour marathon, etc). It gives me great pleasure to speak to others who love running as much as I do.