Why I Run. By Nathan Woodfin on July 1, 2018March 19, 2019Leave a Comment View this post on Instagram I’M RUNNING FOR MY LIFE! You don’t see anything chasing me, as I cross the finish line of the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in Irving a couple weeks ago, but I am in fact running for my life. Behind this huge smile (and this totally sexy BreatheRight strip) is a thyroidless, formerly obese (according to my Dr. – I preferred the term “husky”) cancer survivor trying to make a difference in my life and others. Here is why I run: I RUN FOR MY HEALTH. Looking at my page, you probably think that I love to run. You might even think that I consider myself a runner. In January of this year, I couldn’t run a mile. I actually don’t like running (although I have found that I hate it much less now than I did previously). Cancer was a wake up call for me to change my life for the better, forever. Exercise (along with rest and a healthy diet) is medicine. For the record, I don’t like taking medicine either, but I do it anyway. The healthier I get, the better I feel. The harder I work, the stronger I become. Listen to your body and challenge yourself to do something that you didn’t think you could. I RUN TO BE AN EXAMPLE to others. My kid looks up to me. I want to be a good example of what a healthy dad looks like. I also hope to motivate others. Everyday I reach out to people going through some of their darkest times. I have a passion to help others and to share my story of where I’ve been, where I am now and where I am going. I RUN BECAUSE I CAN. I couldn’t do a whole lot last year, although I sure worked hard. Being sick is just no fun. With surgery and radiation I was pretty unsure of how soon I could do things again. My surgery was in April of 2017 and then radiation in June, but I was able to complete the Rose City Tri in September. That was still the hardest I have worked and the most amazing victory I have had, crossing that finish line. I RUN FOR OTHERS THAT CAN’T. My heart is burdened for those that are sick, disabled, fighting cancer or thyroid diseases. Maybe you can’t get out and do much right now. That’s ok. Keep fighting and know, that: I RUN FOR YOU! A post shared by UnAthlete (@unathlete_com) on Jul 1, 2018 at 7:53am PDT