I don’t remember the day I learned how to run. I suspect few of us do. The realization came on gradually, like a child wanting desperately to grow up and looking in the mirror each day only to miss that inevitable fate catching up with them little by little. For me, running was like that. I emerged from the blur of time galloping down neighborhood roads and school tracks with no recollection of getting to that point.

Neither of my parents were all that interested in athletics or physical fitness. Maybe it was better that way because parents have a way of pushing kids toward their own passions too hard or too fast. In hindsight, my mom and dad’s indifference to my favorite pastime was a blessing in disguise. They didn’t run, but I did.

You ran for one reason as a kid; to be fast. The big cats and formidable predators on television always ran fast. There was something about speed in my childhood mind that was the height of cool. Most of the other students groaned when it was time to run the mile. I couldn’t wait to make sure I came in first. Neighborhood runs and local races were a challenge to prove that my love of running was pure, that my small feet wouldn’t stop until I crossed the finish line.

My parents may not have cared much about physical pursuits in their own lives, but they were bound and determined I participate in sports. This was a nonnegotiable brick wall I was powerless to topple. Basketball failed to light that flame inside me that running had, but soccer did. I got to do the one thing I loved—run as fast as I could—but now there was the added dimension of a ball and goal. Not only could I run; I could try to score.

Soccer led to an enthusiastic commitment to sports through adolescence and college. The terms ‘burning out’ or ‘flaming out’ crop up when we hear about people who’ve poured their heart and soul into a singular purpose at such a young age. Not for me. I love sports for many reasons, but somewhere deep inside, anchored to my core, is the innocence of running and playing for their own sake. Those two things never stopped being fun, and I hope they always are.