Why I run: Christina Tosi
I usually run by myself because my schedule can get a little crazy. I love running in the early morning as much as I love running home after work at sunset — or long after the sun goes to sleep, when the city lights shine bright. I have different routes and paths depending on my mood, what I know I want to think about on my run, the weather and the end goal. I love a good adventure, too. If a friend is nearby I’ll happily take a running partner, and when I travel for work I love to run with other chefs or friends. In my downtime, I hit the trails in Virgina with my sis or another cross-country gal pal from my childhood.
When I run, I get lost in my mind. It’s meditative. I think about life, family, relationships, work, cookies, cakes and soft-serve! I use running as my creative time, too — to dream up new creations, contemplate flavor combos and more. By the end of the run, I’ve mulled over all of the things that float to the top while I’m crushing a hill on a trail in Virginia, navigating the Williamsburg Bridge or cruising up the West Side Highway. The best part of a run is hitting the pavement when no one else is around; it’s just you. You lose and then find yourself. Nothing else I know brings me that singular, personal joy.
You might think running would wear you out and down, but it rejuvenates me and fills my tank. On the hardest, most trying days, a great run gives me the right mindset to take any and all of it on. On a day off, it brings me calm and peace. It is the single greatest remedy for anything a day can throw my way. After a long trip or a long flight, it’s the one thing that makes me feel sane and normal when battling jetlag.
The best part about running is proving yourself wrong. You don’t feel 100% on every single run, but it’s the tenacity, the push in you that keeps you in motion to the end, that’s always worth the hurt. Sometimes you need to push yourself further than you think you’re willing to go. You’re capable of much more than you give yourself credit for. This translates into every single day, every speed bump life throws at you and every challenge you face; when you know how to talk to yourself on a run, you become a master at motivating yourself through anything.
Running is my me-time. It’s a gift I give myself. My running goal is to keep the love of it alive and pumping every time.
