Say you’re running and you think, ‘Man, this hurts, I can’t take it anymore.‘ The ‘hurt’ part is an unavoidable reality, but whether or not you can stand anymore is up to the runner himself

I did not practice—the reality of me running a long﻿ distance, way longer than I could possibly manage considering my current fitness, hasn't hit me until the last 5 seconds before gun time. Hell, I signed up for a run event. Hell, I should've known better how mentally exhausted and avoidant I'd be from day one til d-day. Hell, though I walked a long bit, but I finished the circuitous run.

One unique thing I always like about run events is how you'd get caught up in a crowd for a short while, like a minute at most, and each will began to pace themselves, for their route, to their own comfort. You'll noticed new-to-long-distance runners try to sprint, getting all worked up and dashing pass a few people, only to be found panting in the next 500 meters or so.﻿ You'll also meet a few familiar face along the way, most likely when you're 4 kilometers in, and can't help but noticing these strangers with similar pace, who you'll learned their face by kilometer 5, and possibly be stuck with them till kilometer 10, before either you or them would desperately sprint to the finish line. Or slack up until a camera man is about to shoot you. Either way, eh.

The stranger running together part is always strangely comforting to me. I always go to these run events with my close ones who are obviously way faster than me. My pace will never meet them, and it's best to keep it that way. 

I've (and will) never see my friends along the route, but I always met those with the same running pace. The fact that we could spend hours together in total silence, with no talk, just struggles, was comforting. The fact that once we pass the finish line, we'll never see each other ever again was comforting.

The fact that I'll meet my girlfriend and friends at the finish line, was also comforting.﻿

But the run itself has never been (and will never be) comforting. It's just this ﻿irony I personally perceived that made running enjoyable. Beside this vague 

 along the road, just finishing the run—no matter how slow—is surely a great success in itself. A personal triumph for this out of shape person. A way to overcome insecurity.﻿