The other evening, after eating dinner I had two options: go to CRCE to run or wash my dishes. Neither activity quite qualifies as a favorite pastime of mine, but in the end, I would have to do both. So which would I do first? Which was the lesser of two evils? Running was. Leaving my dirty dishes to wait in the sink until I returned, I put on my gym clothes and headed to CRCE. As I walked out the door I realized: I had passed a milestone. I now dread running less than I dread washing the dishes. To call it a “milestone” might be a slight exaggeration, but hey, it’s something, right?Running has never been a favorite activity of mine. Even when I was on the track team in junior high school, I dreaded both practices and meets. But back then, I didn’t have much motivation. Why run? At that age, physical fitness was the least of my worries. Sure, it was good to be involved with extracurricular activities, but there were other activities I didn’t dread. I enjoyed hanging out with my friends who were also on the track team, but I could hang out with them anytime. Once I entered high school, I gave up on track.Riding a bike 4000+ miles from New York City to San Francisco, meeting people at every stop along the way, raising money to find a cure for cancer, hearing the stories of those affected by cancer through the Portrait’s Project, letting those people know that we are there to support them, and getting to spend the summer with 19 awesome fellow Illini. These are the things motivate me to run now and they have proved to be quite effective. Each week, as I get a little less out-of-shape, I find it easier to push myself a little bit harder than I was able to the previous week. Even though you still might hear me say how much I “hate running”, I have to admit: I think it’s starting to grow on me… Maybe.