A Love-Hate-Love Affair with Running
My lungs are burning and my legs feel like they may give out from underneath me. I can hear my breath become shallow as my footsteps on the pavement beat like a ceremonial drum. I squint as my sunscreen-infiltrated sweat rolls into my eyes.
My Garmin reads just over 4 miles. The voice inside my head attempts to hype me up. “Only 2 more to go! The mind always gives up before the body does.”
This is an old adage that my high school teacher Ms. Willow drilled into my head during early morning rugby practices. 15 years later, I am starting to second guess her theory as the Florida heat feels more like running through a burning house than the great outdoors. My inner monologue is proud as I successfully make it back home after a very long, very hot, very uncomfortable hour or so.
The first big breath after you complete a long run is always the best. It arrives with a sigh of knowing that although that kind of sucked, it was also kind of awesome. In both my personal and professional life, running has been an amazing therapeutic intervention. If you have thought about starting to run for your own therapeutic benefits, or if you are interested in offering a therapeutic running program to those you serve, keep reading to learn all of the many therapeutic benefits of running. #runtherapy
My Running Story
I was an athletic child, running cross county in the fall and track and field in the spring. I wasn’t especially fast, but I was pretty good and that fact that I got the day off school to go to meets and hang out with my friends was more than enough encouragement to continue running.
By the time I got to my first year of college, exercise, in general, was a distant memory. I was too busy making new friends and drinking beers to prioritize moving my body for health. During my second year, I suffered from one of my first bouts of depression. It was over the winter when I was feeling especially lost in life with absolutely no direction. I was sleeping massive amounts, I started losing interest in the social endeavors that I once adored, and I was probably drinking much more than I care to admit.
I don’t know what compelled me on one snowy Saturday afternoon to pull out my running sneakers from deep within my closet, but I did. Now, remember this was winter in Newfoundland and it wasn’t warm. So, I layered up. Like, really layered up and grabbed my mp3 player (it was 2007 guys). I made my way out the front door into the snowy streets of St. Johns, Newfoundland.
Boy, did that run suck. You know the way your lungs burn with your exercise in the cold? Well, that was instantaneous and lasted for the full painful 20 mins. As horrible as the experience had been, while I stood doubled over on my front pouch working hard to regain my breath, a moment of clarity hit me like the sun on a summer’s day. Even though it sucked, I did it. I had finally taken back a little piece of control in my life, leaving me feeling no longer a stranger in my own body. Running became my therapy.
What are the Therapeutic Benefits of Running
For me, running untangles my mind. Every step I take unwinds the knotted mess that is the brain most days. It’s as though every time I hit the ground, I am shaking my thoughts into place.
Physical activity has been proven to be extremely beneficial in a multitude of ways, but there is something unique about the experience of running that provides unique benefits that only those who lace of their sneakers and start running reap. Check out some of these evidence-based therapeutic benefits of running here.
Mood Enhancement
Research shows that spending 30 minutes on a treadmill is enough to lift the mood of someone suffering from a major depressive disorder. Runners also tend to be happier and are at a much lower risk of experiencing depression than the general public.
For the adolescent population, who have seen an alarming increase in depression rates, running could be especially beneficial. Studies have found that for young people, running improves sleep, mood, and ability to focus.
Physical Health
Did you know that 1 in every 4 deaths is due to heart disease? As the leading cause of death in the US, this is a tremendous public health concern. Running has been shown to significantly improve cardiovascular health. Following as the second leading cause of death, cancer can also be prevented through regular running and another aerobic exercise.
Have issues with consistent and restful sleep patterns. Never fear, running is here to save the day yet again. Research has found that regular running can actually strengthen our circadian rhythms, promoting alertness throughout the day and sleepiness at night time.
Resilience and Coping
I’m sure you have heard the term “runners high”. Well, this term is actually a significantly backed state that is caused by the brains release of dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin. This is similar to the brains response when using drugs or engaging in other addictive behaviors. Running can serve as a healthy replacement for this positive feedback loop the brain craves.
As a preventive measure for our highly stressful lives, running re-wires the brain to handle adversity. When presented with a stressful situation, runners tended to report fewer negative effects than there counter-parts. Running changes the brain in ways that make it more resistant to stress.
Cognitive Function
Aside from the emotional and physical benefits running provides, it is all great for our brains! Yes, running can do incredible things like improve your mind at any age and help to fight age-related cognitive decline. It can also improve your ability to learn and retain new information while also increasing your creativity. So next time you need inspiration for that next paper or new program, just lace up your running shoes and head out your front door.
It is important to clarify that running isn’t necessarily a replacement for therapy. Although it is extremely therapeutic, running isn’t a substitute for therapy, rather support. Some individuals will still require medication or talk therapy to work through their current life circumstances and heal.
Incorporating Therapeutic Running into Practice
Almost every setting I have worked in, we have provided some form of therapeutic running into our practice. Here are a few ideas for you to think about if you are contemplating it:
- Start a couch to 5K group
- Bring your clients/patients to a community fun run or walk
- If you have a gym onsite, ensure there are treadmills or find a track/trail nearby you can bring your participants to
- Create a fun run/walk challenge. For instance, count steps and track your distance as if you were ‘Walking Across America’
- Seek footwear donations from runners who have purchased new shoes
- Partner with your local running stores
- Ask for volunteers from community running groups, college track/cross-country teams to come and spend some time with your participants. It might be the real-life motivation they need to lace of their sneakers and go.
How to Be a Runner
Step one: Put on comfortable athletic footwear.
Step two: Move your body in a forward motion.
Now you are a runner.
All jokes aside, here are a few of my favorite running tips:
- Develop a sense of humor – You will probably step in dog poop. It’s okay – you can wash your shoes off when you get home, just keep going.
- Find a local run club – If you are a social person or you need external obligations to commit to your running goals, just a local club or find a buddy.
- Entertain yourself – If you are not the type who likes to exercise with just your thoughts and the sound of the pavement than be smart and prepare your music/podcast/audiobooks beforehand. If you are entertained the time will fly-by.
- Track your progress – Whether you use an app, or just note how you feel and the distance you cover after every run, your improvements will inspire you to keep going.
- Have a goal in mind – Twice around the block? Couch to 5K? Half marathon? Death Valley Ultra Marathon? Whatever you want to do, always keep the goal in your mind – it will help!
Bottom Line
Running has been a consistent part of my life throughout my 20’s and now into my 30’s.
Through the highs and lows, I ran. The confusion and the pain, I ran. The success and laughter, I ran. Running is my safe space. I know how to get there, and I know what it means to have a moment of clarity either while on route or while regaining my breath at the end of the trail.
Runners are just humans moving their body in a forward motion for extended periods of time. Some runners wake up at 4 am to get in 10 miles while others are building their endurance to complete their first 5K. No matter where you are on the vast spectrum, if you are running, you are a runner.
Have you incorporated the therapeutic benefits of running in your practice or life?
Share your experience and knowledge with the community below 🙂
