I know so many people who are into running.

I don’t get it.

Off the top of my head, I can name at least five people I know personally who have run marathons. I find that sort of accomplishment impressive, if somewhat baffling. I can name at least two people who run marathons on a regular basis and although they seem OK and I admire their fitness and dedication, I do secretly (well, not so secretly) wonder occasionally if they have a screw loose.

Personally, I hew to the Satchel Paige school of thought: Never run if you can walk, never walk if you can sit, never sit if you can lie down. I am a big fan of lying down.

Back when I had a big dog and a small yard in my 20s, we would go for little jog/runs. Neither of us liked it very much. He vastly preferred running by himself at the dog park or the dog beach. I vastly preferred watching him.

When I met my husband, he was a big fan of hiking. I didn’t like that either. Too hot in Florida, too hilly in Virginia, too sweaty and winded and itchy after a half hour to enjoy it much, unless there was a waterfall or an ice cream parlor at the end of it. (Note: This was not true out West, where I hiked quite happily on little trails in Yellowstone, not to mention around Bryce Canyon, Arches, and other big red rocks. Perhaps I just need something to look at that is not impenetrable forest.)

I sat in my office job for years. I was quite good at that. Now I lie in bed and work on my laptop. If they had an Olympic event for that, I would definitely place.

I think part of this might stem from the fact that I’ve never really had a walk-around lifestyle. Until we moved to our current house, I always lived at least 3 miles from my workplace, the grocery store, etc., and I always drove everywhere. If parking was a problem, I would debate going and see how far I’d have to walk to and from the car.

Now that we live in a dinky town, I still drive almost everywhere, but I have the good manners to feel a little bit guilty about it now and then.

Hats off to all you runners out there!