What Running Taught Me

Although I have always been a physically active person and have always loved the outdoors, running had never been my preferred cup of tea. I was under the impression that it was tough, strenuous, demanding, and not for everyone. But when we shifted to the beach city Visakhapatnam a few years ago, the beach road in front of my house presented a steady spectacle of runners and marathoners. It was the beginning of my first interest in running. The Beach Road in the City was the most popular location for multiple marathons spread across the year and seeing the sea of marathoners from my balcony was exciting and inspiring! And suddenly I wanted to run a marathon too. With a few months of practice I enrolled for my first 5k marathon and from there began my first baby steps towards running.

I took to running to try something different which I had not done earlier, to take up a newer physical challenge that did not require any specific location, aid, equipment or a fixed time and regimen. When I began running I didn’t have any particular ambitions and just wished to increase my stamina and fitness levels. I was not a professional athlete and did not have any miles to clock or break records. For a beginner like me, the canvas was blank. I could start with a slow jog, pace it to a medium sprint. Or run fast for a few hundred meters and then stop to start again after a few minutes. I could run in the morning, evening or night. I could run for 20 minutes or an hour.

Let me confess, I am still a beginner for it has only been only a few years that I have embarked on this journey. And I have a long way to go. I am yet to join the league of hardcore runners who are exceptionally disciplined in their training, practice and diet. My goals are non-race related as of yet, for I have been running at my pace and for myself. But nevertheless, my few years of running have not just been a source of joy and contentment but have been quite revealing too. Besides building my physical and mental fitness, it has taught me more than a few valuable life lessons.

Even in my middle age, I learnt how taking one step at a time was important to keep going, till I reached my destination. And how this was true for most of our life experiences and journeys. I have always run at my own pace, not looking back or at those surpassing me. I set my own goal posts till I was equipped to go a bit faster, a bit further.

I realised there was no better time spent than running. It always lifted my blue mood and sagging spirits, shrank my anxiety and stress and made me calmer. Whenever I was stressed it was running that always helped me return feeling refreshed and better. I used the time to catch up on my audio books, listen to podcasts and my favourite tunes and think creatively. I relished the time alone where the crowd and other distractions in the vicinity receded. I had eyes only on my steps and the natural beauty around me. One of my most cherished running moments have been watching the rising sun from the depths of deep see and feeling the gentle breeze cooling my sweaty face.

I loved the way my body went through a transition after running for a few steady minutes: The quickening of pulse and the thumping of heart, the heavy breathing, the trickling sweat and flushed skin. And the feeling of achy accomplishment and joy after finishing the run.

One of the biggest benefits of running is the release of endorphins and endocannabinoids – two powerful feel-good hormones with mood-boosting effects. It infuses you with a “runner’s high,” a short-lasting but euphoric state following intense exercise. I found running simple, yet profound. A natural motion where you don’t overthink with your reflexes but just move your body and go.

I learnt that one don’t need to be a marathon runner to enjoy all the benefits of running. Running for a couple of hours every week was also helpful in protecting my body from a host of physical ailments. And the benefits of running was beyond just the physical.

In the book, The Joy of Running, the author Thaddeus Kostrubala describes how running can save your life-and your soul, enhancing physical fitness along with psychological and spiritual health. The book reveals the secrets of running as a path to self-discovery. It also talks about how running can literally rearrange your personality and cause depressed people to lose their depression, diminishes anxiety. Using a metaphor from Aldous Huxley, Kostrubala writes that running may “help each individual open new doors into his own soul.”

It’s said that when you become a runner, it changes your life. And I soon began to understand the changes in my own personality and attitude. In the beginning, it was uncomfortable and hard for me. I had aches in my legs, shins, stomach and my burning chest refused to go on at times. I was demotivated and complacent at times. But with regular practice, I gradually increased my stamina and the distance and with it, my motivation. I began participating in all 5K marathons for a while. It raised my confidence and drove me to go further. There was immense satisfaction knowing that was challenging myself and evolving. Consequently, I started to love running.

It helped me to focus and reflect better. I became more conscious and alive too because I ran. It also taught me discipline, patience, self-awareness which improved other areas of my life. It helped me avert negative feelings from spiralling and steered me towards a positive pathway.

I love the meditative power of running. Sometimes, running is so much about connecting with ourselves and perhaps even something greater, like the universe and a higher power. It opened up new possibilities and ideas that I had not considered before. I started running to calm my mind in times of confusion and sadness and I also started running for pleasure feeling the sun and wind on my face while listening to my favourite music.

It felt good running for a cause I believed, for raising funds or simply for promoting a healthy life. It made feel more connected to the world and the people around me.  I learned about new thresholds and possibilities within me.

Although running is a number-driven physical activity with technology making it easy to get caught up in paces, races and distances, the simplest thing is to just run without comparing yourself with others.  The best part was realising you are competing with none, but with yourself.

Running for me has resulted in both immediate and long-term rewards. While you are reaping the instant effect on your mind and body you are also building a strong and disciplined mind and a fitter body. It’s understanding that even if you don’t run fast or long, it’s always time well spent bettering yourself physically and mentally.

Being a beginner runner I now have huge respect and admiration for long distance runners and marathoners and the sheer discipline and determination with which they pursue their passion. I admire their years of training honing their physical and mental strength. I have a long way to go, but I am happy with the distance that I have traversed so far.

For me, running is a journey and to truly enjoy it, I have fully embraced it, accepting the aches, pains and the burning chest, the ups and downs of my track and everything along the way. As American runner Doris Brown Heritage  befittingly described, “Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance-you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitations or coast quietly down a solitary path watching the earth spin beneath your feet.” True that!