t was a rainy evening after a long day of working and driving in the rain. I passed my home doorstep at 10:30 p.m., quite tired, my clothes damp with rainwater that soaked through my old raincoat, my belly full from a lovely Korean BBQ dinner I just had with my wife. But there was still one empty box unticked on my habit checker list called “Exercise.”

So, I exchanged my wet jeans for my running shorts, put on my headphones, and turned on Nike Run Club for a 20-minute guided run. Today’s run, called “Running for More: Purpose,” was very insightful and inspiring guidance—easily one of my favorite guided runs so far. It made me think about the reasons that drive me to go running, why I show up—for myself, for my teammates, for those who need me and count on me. Am I running to inspire others, to prove something? It’s so easy to stay home, play games, go to bed, and call it a day, but I decided to go for a run, to be better, to practice, to build discipline.

I was able to cover 4 km in 28 minutes, checked a box in my habit tracker (never miss twice in a row), and found a subject for today’s blog. I felt grateful and better about myself (feeling less bloated from the big dinner too).

Looking forward to the next starting line.

There’s a quote from Coach Bennett of Nike Run Club that goes, “Struggling is successfully not giving up.”

This is about running; this is also not just about running.