I started running 10 years ago in middle school on my school’s cross country team.
My coach was an older man from Boston with a thick accent and a reputation of being tough to please. I’ve gone through at least 20 pairs of running shoes and countless pairs of headphones, and don’t even get me started on athletic shirts ruined from pinning on race bibs.
Running has made me feel like I can’t breathe. It has skinned my knees and bruised my ego. It has dislocated bones, given me stress fractures and made me pass out cold. It has pushed my limits, both physical and emotional, and made me question if I really like running in the first place.
And it is the best thing to ever happen to me.
Running has become a huge part of my personality over the years and the reason I feel I’ve been successful at things I work toward. I find myself to be an avid people pleaser and overthinker, a lethal combination for a college student, and running has been my biggest emotional stress reliever, despite the physical stress it puts on my body. Running has taught me that I can always do better, run faster, work harder — that there is always a new day ahead and a new personal best to achieve.
I ran my first half-marathon with my dad at 16 years old. The first day we went on a run together, he told me it was a short 2-mile run. It was only about 4 miles in that I got the feeling it was farther than he’d originally told me we were going. There were points in time where he would run circles around me to encourage me to speed up or pull my arm behind him to encourage me to keep going.
In the moment, it was absolute torture. But in hindsight, I am eternally grateful for his constant pushing of me to do better and keep running, as it has become the reason I push myself to do better in everything I do.
Not only has running revamped my work ethic, but it also clears my head in ways that nothing else can. Any time that I feel stressed, overworked, upset or just unclear on my life plans ahead, going for a run puts my mind at ease. Something my dad always told me in training was to focus on the problem ahead, and that has translated into all aspects of my life. Whether it’s that last mile to finish, a hard exam ahead to study for or anything that feels entirely impossible to achieve — running has taught me to just focus on taking it one step at a time.
“Runner’s high” is a term commonly used to refer to the rush of endorphins after completing a run. According to Dr. David Linden from Johns Hopkins Medicine, runner’s high is more than an endorphin rush.
“Exercise increases the levels of endocannabinoids in the bloodstream. Unlike endorphins, endocannabinoids can move easily through the cellular barrier separating the bloodstream from the brain, where these mood-improving neuromodulators promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm,” Linden said.
Running not only eases the mind but the body as well — if you don’t count the post-run soreness. According to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, compared to non-runners, runners are up to 45% less likely to have cardiovascular issues and have a longer life expectancy by up to three years.
I’ve been frustrated to the point I’m at a loss for words, sad to the point where I feel like I can’t breathe and every other emotion in between — and nothing has helped me feel like myself again more than running has. I have found comfort in the routine of lacing my shoes a little too tight and running the same routes over and over. The constant repetition of one foot in front of the other has given me clarity when my world feels completely out of order.
Running releases a little bit of stress with every stride I take. You can’t run from your problems, but I am a firm believer that you can lace up and run right through them.
