Just Run - A comment from a Brazilian Runner

While browsing a few blogs that I usually follow I read one very interesting article posted by a Brazilian runner, Bruno, on his blog. The aritcle was about the social life of a runner which I will try to summarize it here.

He started his article with the question "Running helps or gets on the way of your social life?". Interesting question! I had thought about the very same thing since I became a runner myself. Bruno says that running actually helped with his social life. He went on and explained that running not only has helpd him with his social life but helped him improve his health and self steem.

Since he started running he stopped smoking and has also changed his eating habit which was not so great before as he explained. He mentioned that he also no longer drink alchool and now he had discovered and acquired a taste for "fruit juices" in so many flavors he never knew existed. Well this is a true statement due to the fact that Brazil has such a variety of fruits that most of Americans cannot even imagine.

He aslo talked about his circle of friends; the ones he had before becaming a runner and his new running friends whom he met either thru training or races.

He says that before becoming a runner he was not the type of person that enjoyed "going out" that much and apparently, it was a problem with his friends who used to call him "party pupper". He says that now he have a real reason to say "no" to invitations.

Also he says that reason, perhaps the most important for him, running has helped him is self-esteem. that were times when he did not feel good looking himself in the mirror. Not that he he consider hinself handsome or anything like that but now when he look himself in the mirror he sees a stronger person. When looking in the mirror he sees a fighter, a winner, a RUNNER .

After reading this Post I was amazed by his comments and how it is so similar to what I feel. I said "WOW" this person expressed in this post my very own feeling and thoughts.

I, like Bruno, really believe that running helped me tremendously in many ways. It has expanded my circle of friends; people from all background and ages with whom I share the same interests, we can talk about the same things, we travel together to different states racing all kind of interesting marathon. Running gave me back my self confidence.


Contrary to Bruno, I never smoked or had bad eating habit but running improved my self confidence tremendously. When I turned 40 I thought my life was over. I started feeling depressed, old, unnactrative. I did not have a hobby or anything that I was passionate about it. Life was just that.... life.

I start running motivated by a another 40 year old girlfriend who had run her first marathon. I thought she looked amazed. I than started training with her. It was 6 years ago... and life is better than eve since than.

like Bruno when I look myself in the mirror, which I do quite often now, and am not not ashamed of what I see. Now what I see is a 49 years old beautifull, strong, athletic woman. Running gave me the self confidence I lacked before. I feel better than now than when I felt on my twenties... I am having the best time of my life.

Thanks Bruno for sharing your story with us. It was so inspriing that I took the liberty of translating it as a post o my blog.

I feel young, powerful. I feel that I can conquer anything. It made me see that getting older is not so bad after all.

If you want to read Brunos post, please visit his blog. You will have to use a "translator tool" to translate his post into English but I can garantee that you will truly enjoy it. Bruno Blog address is: www.correndonachuva.blogspot.com

Obrigado Bruno por esta inspiração! Thanks Bruno for this inspiration!