On a beautiful summer morning 1,5 years ago, I put on some sport shoes and went out for a run. I ran about 2 kilometers and it took me 20 minutes. But ever since that day, I kept running. And here I am, training for my very first half marathon ever. Running has become my favorite sport and honestly, I couldn't miss it anymore. Here's why:

Me-time
Turning on my music means tuning out the world. As soon as the beat drops, I only focus on my running. I love the wind blowing in my hair or the sun on my face while I'm running. I had some very stressful moments last year and running helped me not going crazy on them. For a small time, I'm away from the world and away from all the problems and stress. Nothing to worry about.

Meditation
I really hated mindfulness, but I love running. There's nothing to do except for thinking, so it's perfect to clear your mind and give everything a good thought. Whatever is going on in your life, it gives the perfect opportunity to think about it clearly and to set out everything. It's a moment to come to myself and to flush my brain.

Setting goals
I started off being able to run 2K and each time I went running, I went a little further. Personally, I am someone who needs some motivation or I'll be very good at finding excuses. That's why I set up a running calendar and told myself I'd run a half marathon next year. Crazy? No. I know I can do it, I just needed a kick under my butt to start training. And the nice thing is, you can go further and further each time. I ran my first 12K last year, this year it's almost gonna be double.


No competition
When you run a race, you don't expect to win. I mean, come on, those people who win always have crazy times I don't even think off. I only like competition when I know I have a proper chance to win. Yes, I'm competitive like that. So I never participated in tennis games or anything. But running a race doesn't feel like competition. It's something you do for yourself, it's just reaching your goal and celebrating it.


Anywhere, anytime
Running is probably the easiest sport out there. You lace up your shoes, put in your music and go. Everytime I go on vacation and it's a capital, I want to run there. I started last year and I thought it would be nice. So far, I have only run in London (Lisbon was too hot!), but I loved it so much. I felt like a real Londoner! And as easy as it is to find excuses, you can't say 'oh I don't have time'. No, because running can be done anytime. The only downside is that you have to think about the weather. But so far, I've always managed.

I really hope I've encouraged some people to try running too because honestly, it's my favourite sport now. Just try it once! Still looking for inspiration? Check out my favourite running gear.

All images are from here.