Phil from Rhode Island describes his "feeling of elation" at sustaining his conversion to shirtless running.
I wanted to share my story about embracing shirtless running.
Ever
since I got married, I have been trying to be more active, for the sake
of my wife and my future kids. One way I've been accomplishing that
goal is through running. I've always enjoyed running and until recently
have only done so fully clothed. But recently I decided to change all
that.
I've been on shirtless runs before. Many
years ago I used to run with a friend who was a track runner. One hot
day on the trail he pulled ahead of me and in one swift motion pulled
his shirt over his head and continued on. By the time I caught up the
sweat was pouring down his chest. He looked over to me and suggested I
did the same, telling me that I would be more comfortable. Without a
second thought I did the same. The feeling was liberating; the cool
breeze against my bare chest, the warmth of the shaded sun. Not to
mention the charge of two shirtless guys on the trail encountering
several girls in tank tops and jog bras.
Fast
forward to now. With the long New England winter finally behind us I had
been itching to get out and enjoy the weather. My first few morning
runs this year have been chilly, still cool enough for a t-shirt. Now
that the summer has arrived though, I've been out shirtless as much as
possible. And I still get the same feeling of elation as I did back
then. Seeing my fellow fitness buffs out on the road or along the beach
helps to push me along. It has even inspired me to complete my first 5K
since high school.
Now if only I could find a gym around here that would allow guys to lift shirtless.
3 comments:
Glad you're running shirtless again. I agree it feels great. I feel like I can run faster that way. Just went for a shirtless run on a trail this morning. Was awesome and saw almost two dozen other guys shirtless, too. Keep it up!
Jamie
Keep it up, Phil! I'm seeing more and more men running with no shirt these days - both with shirt in hand and (typically like me) with no shirt on their person at all, plus more than a few women in sports bras. Occasionally there will be someone hooting and hollering, but just ignore them. There will always be haters :)
I hope you ran the race shirtless!? You should try to keep running shirtless during the fall season too, even if it gets a little chilly. I found running shirtless in the cool air is an awesome feeling, and you don't get cold either. Give it a try!
Rick
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