Why I run.

With respect to my weight loss I am sometimes asked why I run. And my answer usually is the anecdotal response of, "I just like running". But I've realized it's a lot deeper than a "like" of running.
My mother has Type II Diabetes. Every morning she wakes up and injects herself with insulin. 15 minutes later she eats. This routine is usually continued throughout the day. Along with a prick here and a prick there of which ever finger hasn't been tapped into recently. Along with that she is on an assortment of other pills. She cannot run. She is a walker.
My father is a stroke survivor. Several years ago while watching television he felt numbness on one side of his body and thus started his transformation from a man who had an aura of invincibility into a man who has partial paralysis on one side of his body.  He travels short distances with the aid of a walker or cane and should he venture further, a motorized scooter. He cannot run. 
My mother-in-law has Muscular Dystrophy. She has spent the last 20 plus years slowly losing her ability to use her muscles. She wakes up in the morning, and with the assistance of her motorized scooter, proceeds to conquer the world... as long as there are access ramps and handicapped accessible buses. She cannot run. She cannot walk.
So why I run is simple. I run because there are people out there who cannot. So it's about more than weight loss to me. It's about taking advantage of the blessing to be able to run. The get winded. To slow down. To speed up. To speed walk because it's easier. To just be able to. 
And it sucks sometimes when I'm exhausted and I'm only one mile into a 5 mile run. But when that happens I stop and think to myself...I can. So I have to..run.

Vaya