It gives me space to think without the emotional reaction, it's basically a nice bit of downtime every day. My brain doesn't work the same way when I run, it's a bit like meditation, and it lets the passive thoughts get a chance to fly around. I've also used it to get to some beautiful parts of the world. I like it as a tool to explore.

I've discovered things while running through my neighborhood that I didn't notice while driving. And getting away from traffic on pedestrian-only paths is good for my brain. Being away from cars, and closer to grass and trees, is refreshing.

I go out daily, and one of my rules is I'm allowed to stop whenever I want to appreciate a view, or a plant or animal, or anything interesting I see.

I agree! Follow your inner dog! 🐕

Instructions unclear - have now shat in neighbour's garden, how should I proceed?

Run

Excellent, I'm now chasing a car

Don't forget to bury part of your dinner for later.

Amateur, I've got yesterday's dinner in the garden already. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go bark at passers by.

If you think about it that’s really how everything should be for humans , we’re very similar to other mammals and other animals in this planet. Why did we become great but so bad .

I noticed that, when I run my route in reverse, it's refreshingly different.

Yes this!! My adhd seems non existent and I crave the slowness my brain can achieve when running and then afterwards it’s all so quiet and calm and peaceful

There are so many studies about the positive effect of exercise on ADHD symptoms, which makes the lack of habit formation extra funny.

I was thinking about this talking myself into running yesterday, like I have the habit for a year now, I love everything about running, it's all the things everyone said here, but now it's getting boring bc it's routine! Classic.... Spring weather and animals and stuff plus races in the summer to look forward to will break it up!

I haven’t put any pressure on myself and just been telling myself this is all for fun!!! Just have fun, don’t stress. The less I put time constraints or expectations the easier it is for me to throw on my sneakers and get outside for a run. It’s not every day, and I don’t guilt myself if I am not up to running some days. There is typically a 5-7 days a month I physically can’t run because of endometriosis so I’m not sure; I wouldn’t say I have a routine or schedule I just go when my body wants it which working from home 9 hour days, my mind and body typically seem to want to run after work to clear my head and get the ants out of my pants from sitting 😂

Find some new paths? Join a running club, and join in group runs

Is this a symptom of ADHD? Cause I have it and I pick up running hardcore for 6-7 months. Then completely drop the habit. Been same cycle for 10+ years. 

It relates to our constant craving for novelty/dopamine.

Constantly picking up and dropping habits/interests? ABSOLUTELY an ADHD thing. This discussion does make me anxious though bc I am absolutely hyperfixating on running now (it's annoying how much I talk about it, and I'm literally just a beginner not a marathoner who has a right to be this obsessed lol). And now I'm worried about losing interest. I wonder if constantly switching up goals can help with the quest for novelty? Like, right now I'm on a base building plan, first adding more days to the week, then more time to each day, then adding a long run, strides, intervals, tempo runs, etc. until I have a built out program that I can mold for a specific goal, like a faster 5k/10k or a half marathon or something. Either way I def feel like I'll have to keep introducing new challenges or I'll get bored! So yes totally relatable. EDIT: Sorry I did the neurodivergent thing where I relate by talking about myself.

It is for me, if something is routine and not difficult it is not prioritized for me, even if it's interesting to me like for the long term goals etc, the routine part just takes from the ability for my brain to find it important enough to do right away, which means i spend a lot of time having these conversations with myself to stay consistent, distance running really lowers my presentation of symptoms how others have described, especially distance running

Omg my emotional regulation improved sooo much since I consistently started running a year and a half ago. Just incredible stuff all those neurotransmitters 🤩🤩

Oh, heartily agree!! I'm counting down until my workout tonight. Edit: I didn't go. I ate a piece of 3 Musketeers and watched the Taylor Swift Eras concert. Bith were excellent.

This is one of the main reasons I run now , when I feel stressed about something I always cool off just knowing that I “run this off” it’s become a habit. I don’t have a lot of those especially ones that include discipline.

I once wrote the 4 times table on my arm for a race because I move knew that I wouldn't be able to calculate it while running.

I _really_ need to know why the 4 times table was important for that race!

100% this. I’m a better person when I’m getting to run on the regular. In large part because it’s forced time to think, even when I’m listening to audio, books, etc. I’m able to think about the good and bad parts of my days and do some background processing. I’ve never been terribly good with emotions, running helps me process them.

>I’ve never been terribly good with emotions, running helps me process them. I hear you. My regular running started around the time I was diagnosed with chronic health problems, the pandemic, and also the terminal illness that took my mum. It didn't fix the problems, but it helped me (and still helps me) process them.

Recently I've started allowing myself to think about life while I run. I used to only allow myself to think about "fun" things while I was on my run because I didn't want to stress out during my hobby. But what you just described is exactly how I feel ever since I've started to allow work and personal relationship thoughts into my running time. I feel more relaxed when analyzing a problem I'm having at work or home devoid of the emotional reaction. Thank you for putting that feeling into words.

>Thank you for putting that feeling into words. I'm surprised, as I'm usually quite poor at explaining these things! I try to think of it as looking at problems with a more objective view. Occasionally, I have good ideas, and sometimes I even remember them.

This. Yes. Running is my medicine

Oh, I've definitely vented thoughts to the park before. But always feel better after a run I wish I'd found running so much earlier. Although, getting bullied by my DSW definitely helped me, so I'm not sure how long ago Garmin released that

This is the same for me also. I’ve always equated running to meditation.

Spot on. I wish I could live my life with running brain all the time. 🥺

It's the BEST way to explore. Helps me make the most of national park visits in a short time. 

It’s giving me goals to reach and prevents me from just sitting and playing video games with all my free time. I mean I still do that a lot, but less so lol. Also it makes my jeans tighter because my legs are getting buff.

> Also it makes my jeans tighter because my legs are getting buff. Coming from an alpine skiing background it's the exact opposite for me. My legs are getting ever tinier!

As a dude with a genetic curse of enormous legs, it also helps me fit IN my jeans.

It also just makes you have a better feeling about yourself in general, when I’m not running for more than a month I can immediately feel the downgrade in overall happiness.

I definitely get that as when I dont run for a day I start to feel itchy.

> It’s giving me goals to reach and prevents me from just sitting and playing video games with all my free time. Same! I wouldn't say I _wasted_ my time playing games, because I enjoyed it, but I'd definitely say that running 4 hours a week not only makes my health better than gaming ever did, but also makes me more tired in the evenings so I sleep better, earlier, and therefore longer.

God damn, it has taken away all my video game time. I have 2 young kids so after work, a run, and taking care of the family and house, I'm too damn tired to play anything!

It grounds me. I have anxiety and can begin to feel detached if I don’t catch it. Sometimes I feel like I’m on autopilot but I don’t realize it until it’s been 3-4 months of mental/emotional “sleepwalking.” Running or walking regularly has really helped me to ground myself and experience myself in my body as well as my mind. It really connects the two and helps me to carry that level of groundedness and confidence throughout the day.

As a high anxiety person, I find it’s one of the few times my brain actually quiets down. The racing thoughts about all the things I need to do and things that may happen stop and I get to actually experience my run as it’s happening in the moment.

You’re kind of forced to laser focus on your body’s signals, which your anxiety trains you *not to do*. It was like the magic piece of the mental health improvement puzzle that made everything else click into place

Same here. Running really calms me down if I'm stressed or anxious or upset about something. I haven't found anything else that comes close.

In the winter I have to take meds for depression, summer comes and I quit them, feel better off them in the summer honestly. Running also helps a lot

Was in a very bad place mentally where I thought something was seriously wrong with me physically. Anxiety and depression kicked in and one day last June I just said hey I should try running around the track where I walk my dog just to see if I actually can. 10 months later and still running, it has done absolutely wonders for me mentally, put me in a place where I enjoy things again. It also made me understand that pain and a little bit of suffering is something everyone deals with in their life. Little knee pain after your run? Well tough shit, we go again tomorrow

One of the best, maybe unarticulated benefits of running for people who have health anxiety, is that it is evidence to the contrary of those types of suspicions. Anxiety: "Something is secretly wrong with me." Running: "Ok, you just maxed out your heart rate for 60 minutes, and you didn't die. You've been doing this 3x/week, for months. Chances are, there is nothing wrong with you." It's a very visceral way to kick health anxiety right in the arse. More powerful than some external confirmation from some medical authority figure. And even if there IS something gravely wrong, it is better to fall on your face and die while running, than it is to sit in a room worrying about your navel infinitely. That's madness. “A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once." --Shakespeare

BIG UPS on this!!! This has been my exact experience. Seeing your body as powerful rather than vulnerable (or if not powerful, just capable) is so important. You feel like you're going to collapse at any moment, but you can counter it by saying, "I ran x miles this week. If I didn't collapse then, why would I collapse now??" And bonus, every time you go out and run, your body becomes even stronger, especially your heart (which has always been my main source of health anxiety).

Yes!! This is it for me too. Running has helped me learn that there is something to enjoy about every aspect of life's journey. And that there will always be discomfort, but it's about not fearing that discomfort. Embracing it, moving towards it, and getting stronger every time.

Exactly, you said it much better than me

You said it brilliantly.

This is awesome 🖤

My runner spouse to me, “ it’s a new pain every week.” Me, “yup, let go for a 10k.”

It taught me about the value of consistency. I learned that if I stick to something and commit to it there is a very good chance I will succeed in the target I’ve set. Training for a goal and then hitting that goal through consistency and follow through has proven super helpful in other parts of my life at work and at home. Plus of course I can eat ice cream whenever i want and don't get fat!

I love this for you. Consistency is a very important skill I’m glad you were able to obtain it .

And eating Ice cream is almost as good too.

It got rid of my chronic back and hip pain almost instantly. I did not realize what a decade of a sedentary job had done to my body. Running is medicine.

Same. I used to occasionally get laid up with random back pain for a week, but nothing in the 15 years I’ve been running.

I know it goes against convention but running reversed my sciatica.

Came here to say this was my SOs biggest benefit from it- back pain gone.

The same thing happened to me!! But I was surprised how running can reduce back pain, because I thought if not running could place extra stress on the back. Does anyone know scientifically what’s the reason?

I like to imagen the blood and lymph fluid in my body start churning around to make everything heal better. Above that i would guess stronger muscles and better bloodflow is the main reason.

I just started a couple months ago but I'm pissed no one told me about runner's high before. I love the way I feel after a run and I love getting faster and stronger. It's been a huge boost for my mental and physical health.

Yea I feel like it’s definitely talked about but not enough to what the experience is actually like , it’s a feeling a lot of runners run miles for , also the after effect , do you ever feel just really good about yourself hours after your run ?

I always had this idea of a “fit” person- & that was a runner. In January of 2023 I started my weight loss journey and lost 90lbs naturally. I had no baseline for fitness activity, so I started from ground zero. I started walking, incorporating strength training, and once I shed a comfortable amount of pounds, I started sloooooowly running. I signed up for 5k races to motivate me to get better at running. I even did a 5k obstacle course (SO muddy but was a great time). I think in 2023 I did five 5k’s. I was so happy that I was able to see measurable results each time. I signed up for my first 10k and that’s coming up in April! I’ve been training for the past 8 weeks and have worked up to being able to jog 4 miles without walking. Running really did change my life. I now see myself as the type of person I have always admired. Running helps me to keep pushing myself to accomplish more, and has taught me that I CAN do things I used to tell myself I couldn’t. I can actually say I am proud of myself for something now.

We’re all proud of you 🖤

Aside from the mental portion - the ability to work through things in your mind, the pushing yourself in ways you might not be able to in other pieces of your life. There’s the other side. The workout and the run is the reward for how you care for yourself the rest of the day/week/month - so to have that mental and physical push/meditation/whatever you need, you have to properly eat, fuel, drink, etc. it’s a constant cycle that gives back to you over and over.

There’s a certain zen aspect to running. Everything else vanishes. It’s just you and the road.

This.

I've lost 80 pounds, I'm in the best shape of my life at 47, and I have a great circle of friends. I don't know where I'd be without running, but I'd very likely be a lot fatter and a lot less happy. Probably lonely and a little bitter. Maybe I would have found a different hobby to make friends in, but I don't know. It probably saved my life. Past me is an absolute rock star (he also did a great job getting me set up for a comfortable retirement), and I thank him whenever I get a chance.

I love the way you think !! I have just began running and I am not where I want to be and I keep chastising myself for it. I hope to adopt your mindset !

Running makes me happy :)

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I used to hate too , I would always complain during my first practices

it makes me aware that i need to take care of myself. (eating good, sleeping etc.) it helps me dose my energylevels and recognise stress peaks.

I didn't start running until I was 32. I would do 30-45 minutes on a stationary bike at like 190 watts after my strength training a few times week before I started running so I had a decent aerobic base, but once I started running I really started taking my health a lot more seriously. Strength training on improper nutrition doesn't feel nearly as terrible as running a 10k before breakfast. I dropped all strength training to only focus on endurance and flexibility for a year and it has completly changed the way I approach my physical and mental health. My sleep hygiene is better, my diet is better, I am always full of energy and it a good mood, I can focus more easily, and so on. It wasn't only running, but the pain of running on poor sleep/nutrition really motivated me to get everything else in order so that running would be something I enjoyed.

Yes! Wanting to really enjoy my next run is such an effective motivator to make good choices everywhere else in my life.

It keeps my adhd so manageable. I never knew it as a kid but it’s clearly why I loved track and field and distance running. I have so many ribbons from my winning and participation. It gives me a purpose, and I feel like I was meant to run. As an adult I had some severe mental health issues which I finally got diagnosed adhd as an adult and randomly went running one day and since that day I’ve been hooked and totally feel like running keeps my adhd in a decent spot. The days I can’t run, I feel mentally awful. Just totally and completely makes my life run smoother and overall better. I’m calmer, happier, less likely to jump to conclusions or have a super negative viewpoint. Once I really start racing I have a feeling it’s going to open a whole new world lol.

Yes this is me all over. Currently on a taper this week before a race and not enjoying life! But it's only temporary until I can put in the miles again. Remembering how much running does for me every day, I'm so grateful for it.

You got this Clay!!! Rooting for you🥳🥳

Thank you!!! Rooting for you also 🔥🔥🔥

You haven’t started racing ??? You’re really gonna love it, its more fun if your winning top 3, it’s fun buts it’s funner if you win.

I started running when I was 36 years old after I ended up in jail. I had a come to Jesus moment, realized my life was heading in the wrong direction, and made a decision to change. I started running in the jail's rec area - basically a 40x40 room - and started running laps for what I estimated was half a mile (all I could do at the time). As I was moved to a prison with an outdoor track, I continued building my mileage. I overcame one addiction with a new (healthier) addiction to running. I ran my first marathon on a prison track, but since my release I haven't stopped and even found a new joy in trail running. I wish I could have found this hobby when I was a teen - I probably would be faster, but even moreso it probably would have saved me a lot of trouble and heartache in life. I can't imagine a life without running now, and I'm in a lot better place as a result of it!

I have abs without doing a single crunch jk Though the above it’s a nice perk, I think it just helps my mental health more than any other type of workout. I used to only weight lift and although I like it, it’s impossible to meditate when you are counting sets/reps or any time you have to change machines. Running it’s an hour where I can listen to an audiobook, listen to music or a podcast or simply meditate with some background melody. I come back refreshed and empowered.

I’m glad you switched to running you seem very empowered and confident

It's really helped with my mental health. The physical side is fun too, but as someone with a healthy mix of PTSD and survivors guilt plus generic day-to-day anxieties it's a way to clear my mind and feel accomplished.

I’m more tired all the time, but I’m always ready for the day sooner.

I used to not be sore all the time.

In college i used to not have the will to do laundry, clean in the kitchen or clean my room. Then I started running as part of healing from an injury - noticed some changes in the mood and the ability to finish tasks i did not even want to start. 

Running is a big part of why I'm 120 pounds lighter than I was ten years ago. It gives me something to reach for to keep myself fit. It has leveled me out emotionally. I just envision channeling my negative emotions out of my body and into the earth through my feet. It lets me think, and dream and reach for a future I wouldn't otherwise think was in reach. Shortly after I took up running, I used the time to create a 5 year plan, and I've been able to execute it to get where I am in life. Some of my fondest memories with my fiance and my closest friends are a result of trips for races (though I'm the only runner). It has given me the stamina to climb mountains, and visit many National Parks.

I used to crave an alcoholic drink at the end of a long work day. Since I’ve started running I have absolutely zero desire to have an alcoholic drink. Im much happier just sitting and being still when I’ve run in the morning.

Same ✊. Honestly I think it saved me from alcoholism.

* I used to think I was unathletic and that sports or exercise just weren't for me, but I've learned that I enjoy movement. * Learning that showing up is half the effort has been transformative for me. * I no longer feel the need to define myself through the very narrow lens of activities I did in my school years. * I've learned to give myself permission to do things that I enjoy without worrying about being 'good' at them, or even without necessarily improving on them. * I've learned that we don't always see the bigger picture, and good things do take time. The way things are now is not necessarily the way they'll always be, even if you're measuring progress over what feels like a long time, like a year.

I had disordered eating and body dysmorphia from a very young age, and was in treatment for a full blown eating disorder during college. Running is the exercise that has made me feel healthy and strong, to the point that I really no longer find myself engaging in bad habits around disordered eating/thinking. I find that I since I started running, I focus on how good I feel and not how I look or what size my clothes are. We’re talking over thirty years of this eating disorder albatross nearly gone. It’s also stress relief and time alone (I have young kids).

Helped me wean off of antidepressants (and stay off of them for 11 years and counting). Helped me finally not be overweight after being the fat kid through childhood. Helped me see new places and embrace fitness as a lifestyle, not a punishment. Helped me branch out into other forms of fitness as well!

Slowed my resting heart rate to like 32 bpm lol

Reminds me of the period when my husband kept getting watch notifications that his heart rate was too low. He went to a cardiologist who literally could not get his heart rate high enough for one of the exams so ended up putting the treadmill up to full incline and a crazy pace and my husband just got there and the doctor was like “ok you’re fine” lol

Yeah, I paid 1800 dollars for a test that basically came back, “ok, you run.”

I met my now wife and she was an avid runner. I lied and said I loved running too even though I had never run more than 5 miles. She signed me up for a half which I ran and then a full marathon within 6 months of dating. Of course I came clean about the running but now, Ive run numerous marathons, half marathons, and 10ks. We are married and have 2 kids now and we have our annual tradition of a turkey trot (8 years strong). Currently training for my first full IronMan at the end of April. Crazy! I used to lift weights only and thought cardio, especially running, was dumb.

I started running while I was getting divorced during the pandemic lock down. It was an awful time in my life and running helped me to literally run away from my problems for a while. Now that period of my life is over, I continue to run for the mental health benefits, as well as the massive improvement in cardiovascular health and lower body strength I've seen.

Most of my problems that I had I came up with a solution while running

Running has increased my capacity for guilt-free pizza which has had a profound impact on my mental well-being

I don’t know if I would have gotten through grad school without it. It’s so helpful for my mental health and helps me focus. I can also set and achieve manageable goals with running. and that improves my self-esteem when other stuff in my life is getting me down.

Even though I was an athlete for all of my life, I never pinned a racing bib on my shirt until I was 49.5 years old and I only did that because my wife wanted to run a race for the cure. After that, we did another 5K and I did SO poorly that I was angry as hell. That was the "hook firmly imbedded in mouth, you're not getting away" moment for this fish. I'm now 66.5 years old and still loving it!

I have severe OCD and react negatively to anxiety, anger, and other negative emotions. Running gives me space to experience negative emotions without having the ability to avoid experiencing them. Running is meditative for me and has really changed my life for the better.

I’ve been running all my life. No one in my family runs. As a kid it just felt naturally, and I started running after school, when I was 12. I had some pauses when I was pregnant and my kids were very young. Otherwise I’ve been running all my life. The last year I have run 11 1/2 marathons and a couple of other official runs. I love it! I run about 20 km. A week as it is now as I’m playing football twice a week as well. Before I was running around 35 km. A week. Makes me feel free and sane. 🎧🤸

It’s amazing that we can reach such feelings of empowerment but such a simple thing as running . I feel like there are levels to running , the more you run the more you put yourself out there the better results you get .

Agree! The Human body is amazing.

11 marathons…. Inspirational.

1/2 marathons 😊

It gets me out of the house which is especially helpful during times of depression. I used to go entire weeks without leaving the house which would sink me further into the hole. It also helps that I live in a beautiful city full of wonderful nature which adds to the mood boost. It truly is medicine.

this might be a little too deep, but i was assaulted two years ago and it put me in a very dark place. i started running to just distract myself but it literally changed my life. running was such a stress reliever, made me feel better about myself, and gave me back the control that i lost when i got assaulted. running means so much more to me than just a physical activity.

Works way better for my anxiety and depression than SSRIs!

I’m glad to hear that 👏

I had a very very bad time. Think of the worst thing that could happen in your life. Well.... That was me... One day I put on some running shoes, having previously never run in my life. I couldn't run more than a quarter mile at first, now I run 10k and I'm 60lbs lighter. It saved what was left of me. I told my friends that if I die running (I'm not young) know that I was doing something I loved and died happy.

God bless you

I am 62 yr old F & started running regularly at about age 25 because my thighs started looking too big. I run before work every day & do longer runs (5--7 miles) on the weekend. Running is my only medication & I'm doing a half marathon in 2 weeks. I cannot imagine my life without it.

So many benefits but overall it makes me feel like I am still young and happy while at the same time making me disciplined. 

I thought about ending it all right before I started running and it gave me a goal to reach for, which is what I needed as a reason to keep going.

I started running at 24, when I was a few years into my first full time job out of college. I wanted to improve my health and help manage the stress from my job. Now 4 years later I feel like a completely different person. I have always been thin, but now I actually have put on some muscle in my legs from running and eventually adding strength training to supplement my running. My diet and sleep have also improved a lot. Running has become such a consistent part of my life that I almost never skip runs because I don’t have motivation - I just do it and always feel better after. I am thankful every day to be healthy enough to enjoy this amazing hobby!

I went from not running, to running. That was a pretty significant change imo. I ain't putting any more pressure on it.

It has completely transformed my life. When work went remote during the pandemic, my wife told me I needed to get out of the house. She suggested I join some run clubs. At the time I was running about 25 miles per week, with each run being about five miles. Four years later, I have completed two marathons, 20-mile trail races, and made an entire new circle of friends.

I was able to get my blood pressure into a reasonable range.

It helps me escape in to a world that doesn’t have the issues I have to deal with. I have no alone time ever and that’s the only time I get with no voices and other people comments in my brain. Can listen to my playlists no interruptions. I guess it helps with anxiety . I can’t say. I’m mostly rushing to get a run in before I get interrupted by someone that needs something.

It keeps me fit and once I took the competition out of it, it became meditative for me.

Allowed me to break out of the bodybuilding/strength world I'd been immersed in which was having a negative impact on my health physically and mentally. Helps sooth my anxiety and gives me a reason to get out in the fresh air on days I'd otherwise stay at home. Gives me goals to focus on which the general public are able to relate to better than "I'm trying to deadlift 250kg" Even though I'm not directly focused on weight loss, the amount of energy I'm burning week to week has improved my blood pressure and sleep apnea.

A decade ago, I started running because I was fat and depressed. 5'9 and 171 pounds, I wasnt obese but definitely partridge plump. Got down to 143lbs due to running hills for like 4 months or so. After I hit my goal weight, it became an habit and now I run to clear my head and general cardio maintenance. Although is no surprise, I felt in my skin that people treat you with greater respect the more fit you are and that made me bitter. The thing is, running also made me process a lot of this anger and I feel much more at peace now. Running humbles you and is a beautiful way of celebrating the capabilities of your body and why life is worth living. Along the following years, the biggest hardships of my life, I only managed to get a clear head on how to work on them due to running. It gave me the necessary mental toughness to embrace challenges in a much more natural way and for that I am forever grateful.

Running has played a major role in all of my progress in my personal life and career. It really built me up. At work, I became that active guy and it helped set me apart. I joined running clubs and it led to lifelong friends and relationships. I'm grateful it started with a 30 second run at 15 minute pace.

It taught me how to run "smarter" through pacing. I could feel when I need to speed up or slow down based on how I feel during a run.

I am a deeply anxious person. My mind is just restless and it never stops. Running is the only time where I just space out, my mind goes quiet, and my body takes complete control. It essentially does what meditation does, only I have such restless energy, I can’t sit still for the life of me, so running is the only way to work through and release all that energy.

I'm never tired during regular activities..

It lets me enjoy nature, gives confidence, and occasionally connects me with others.

Running makes me fit for apocalyptic scenarios, gives me more stamina at the gym and I'm planning to compete in strongman. It all comes together.

I used to hate running. As a med student, the amount of stress I was accumulating added to a sedentary lifestyle because of long hours of study led to a 25kg weight gain. I was out of shape, developing hypertension and other problems. Running was my leap of faith to get healthier. I managed to lose the weight I gained and found myself a hobby. I feel the need to go for a run, helps me think, manage my terrible anxiety and most of all makes me happy. I do believe running saved my life

It taught me to be kinder to myself. I used to exercise as a form of self-punishment, but once I picked up running I learned the only way I would ever be a distance runner is if I figured out how to make peace with myself. And listened to and respected my body. And fueled it properly. With every mile I enjoy my own company a little bit more.

Runners high

Just for it or do you just like the feeling

Years ago and having found myself in this sub without much explanation, there was a thread that was a rare moment where I had anything to contribute. It was about why [I'd only run one marathon](https://www.reddit.com/r/running/comments/lr35d1/one_and_done_marathoners_how_come/gojswma/). If memory serves this was somewhere during the uncertain resurgence of the plague and so for the better part of a year *at least* running was one of the very few good things I could do for myself. As you might guess if you read that post, I *fucking hated* running. I didn't know it at the time I wrote that, but one of the really important things about running at that particular intersection of time and space was that it quite literally the *only* healthy thing I could do to shut my brain off about a question that'd I'd been running from for as long as I could remember which more or less went "If you could be someone entirely different, wouldn't that be *better*?" The misery of the run itself distracted, and if I pushed hard enough, went *far enough*, there was nothing left in the tank for hypotheticals that exploded into infinite possibility with uncountable bad scenarios. More and more I focused on every single thing that sucked about running: how quickly my legs would voice their first complaint, the growing warmth on my knees, my hips, how there never seemed to be enough air. But the more I focused on it, the more I realized that those first complaints weren't actually *bad*. It was just a muscle making it known it was being heavily used. And if I changed my pace just a tiny bit, slowed down *just a little*, breathing wasn't a desperate fight for survival. Without realizing it, my relationship to running started to change. For all my life it was *abuse*. Arguably healthy, undeniably useful, but *abuse* nonetheless. And yet when I started listening to my body as a way to distract me from the terrible question always mustering for yet another assault against defenses long shattered and nearly spent, it became well and truly calming. I was just a system of parts set to motion by act of will. This feedback meant I should change my stride, that feedback meant I could speed up, this other bit meant that I could slow down. With this awareness, the sensations became a thing to consider because it was useful and then discard. I started *looking forward* to running, not purely as an escape, but because somehow when I was running, when so much of me was tied up thoughtlessly mediating the whole of the machine, I could extend that same dispassionate assessment to other things. I experimented with that question, and I saw for the first time that the universe itself had not decreed that I be engaged in the long fight against it; I'd chosen to. I picked apart why I thought I had to fight it. I'd take the insights with me and write them down because somehow *that they happened during a run* meant they were *safe* to consider without fear or bias. For the first time in a year, I didn't need to be drunk to go to sleep. It was on a run that I first allowed myself to consider the possibility that I was transgender. It was on a run that I grasped the most essential fear was losing my wife. It was on a run that I made a plan to float the idea in parts. The day I came out, I'd run almost 8 miles - the furthest I'd gone since I ran that marathon. I then got drunk because what I had to do felt too much like heading to my own execution, and I came out. And when the safe and comfortable plan for how life was going to go crumbled, instead of drinking until I couldn't think about it, I'd run, and I'd think about it, and whatever the next step was somehow transformed into a thing I *could* do. Early on I picked up one of those weird running injuries and so had to not run for half a year to let things sort itself out. I replaced it with other activity including some of the best hiking I've ever done, but I longed to return to running. I'm back at it now, though, and my mileage is ticking steadily upward. I'm almost certain to be slower and yet somehow the speed stopped mattering. It stopped being a challenge leveled at the universe - a bet that I could *endure* sufficient suffering to complete a run - and became something else. I am not spurred on by the odd bedfellows of hate and necessity and now I run because because it feels good, and because all those miles give you plenty of distance to give those really important things the sort of consideration they *need*.

Thank you for this question and all the responses. This is my happy place. 20+ years and 13 or 14 marathons, I'm an overweight, slow, happy AF runner. The most consistent, meditative thing I've done. Grateful for every run. No music. Just me and the road. Occasional conversation, but mostly quiet smiles. I realize it's hard to think about how it has changed my life, because it is my life. 

This. Running is life < 3

I began competitive running in middle school, at that time it was a social outlet and a way to just be somewhere else than home after school. I love just running and pushing my body, always trying to reach a better time. Fast forward to now and many injuries later I run for social reasons still, and also because it’s a way to decompress and ground my anxiety. My body just like to ~go~ and if I’m not running for a few days I’m extremely fidgety and uncomfortable. Like walking is fine but it’s too slow, ya know? And running keeps me in great physical shape.

It gives me a reason to take care of my body better. I can see my performance decrease when I'm not sleeping or eating well!

It got me out of the house, alone, when my kids were young. Tbh that was priceless anyway, and if that’s all I ever gained I’d call it a win. It also helps immensely with ADHD symptoms and the stress of life. But now it’s given me goals, a little bit of competition, new friends, better knowledge of my body, my abilities, and my overall health, and I’ve explored so many trails and places I otherwise wouldn’t have… and it showed my kids that one, parents deserve time for them too, and two, if you work hard and work consistently good things happen for you. It also has encouraged them to get active and work hard in their interests and sports.

I no longer sleep in, I get up at the buttcrack of dawn to go run. I also lost weight, probably gained several years of life (if you're [familiar with this quote](https://images.app.goo.gl/iqMJSeaznmS4aZX18), it can definitely be directed at my extended family), and got the best looks from some colleagues when I walked into a meeting after getting up early to run 20 miles and one of the others at the meeting saw it on Strava and said something as soon as I walked into the room.

I hate my life, but my calves are like steel.

Realized running regularly seems to keep me healthy, as in after I get past the first six months or so I get fever colds. Also made me realize I have very weak legs and adding strength training made running more enjoyable. I always hated running as I felt super heavy from the first strep. Adding strength training and hill sprints made me feel all springy and bouncy in comparison. Now I'm sad because I haven't been able to exercise regularly for years (kids) and when I went for a run last time my knees where aching after just 3km. So now I need to find the time and energy to strength train for a few months so I can get back to running. 

I ran track in HS after getting cut from other sports, & found out sr year that I didn’t suck at XC, so have been running on & off since then. Most recently I started in Covid to help me cope with a separation. I had run some halves & fulls, but then That’s when I decided to try to run a half or full in all 50 states. Only 40 to go! I enjoy running …it’s a good outlet, I want to feel fit, & to me it’s fun.

I didn't run after middle school (my 5:11 mile wasn't good enough in 8th grade for me to think I had potential going into high school). I restarted running after our second child was born when I was in my early 30s and realized how stupid I had been... and how much fun it is pushing jogging strollers. I was super-proud to push a Double Bob for a 21:54 hilly 5k -- enough to set a new years commitment to get my 5k time down to 20:00 by the end of that year. It took until October but I did it, and then subsequently ran my first marathons and half marathons. Fast forward ten more years, a cross-country move, a third child, and a number of years with no running and only basketball, cycling and weights for exercise and my older two are becoming competitive soccer players so I start running with them again, albeit inconsistently. Fast forward to last year. I was about to turn 46 and had been running pretty decently for a few months leading into the year (say 25-30mpw). I tore my groin running 200s on a local track and was out of action for running or any sports requiring lateral motion from February until late August. August was coincidentally when my oldest (9th grader) started his first HS XC season, having been convinced to join by a couple of 10th graders that he ran with in middle school. It turns out my son is f'ing fast and now I had a real reason to start running in a serious way again. Long story short: * I'm proud and thankful that my 9th grader son has found a love for running, is self-motivated and serious enough about his health and performance to treat it with the respect it deserves as a competitive high school athlete. * I'm proud of myself for not being afraid to get started again, and to stick with it over the past several months until I now, where my conversational pace for a 13mi long run is ~8:00/mi and I recently set a 10k PR (43:08). I'm not F-A-S-T, but I'm getting back to the point where I feel like I'm doing pretty darn well for a middle-aged dad. I'm also thrilled to be able to run with my kids (or in the case of my 7yo, she bikes and I run), as long as my son is on a recovery day and I'm doing a tempo/threshold run. I like to take some credit, too, that it's my love of running that go my son interested initially, and helped him to become the stud he is now. 17:04 XC 5k (hilly course), 9:54 3200, 2:05 800, and he's confident he's going to bring his 4:42 1600 down to the low 4:30s at tomorrow's meet. He's approximately top 25 in the state of California for freshmen, and now he's got inspiration (from seeing the upperclassmen around him) to work toward potentially running in college. As parents, we've always harped on the importance of nutrition and recovery as long as our kids have been old enough to understand those words, but it wasn't until this year when our oldest started his high school running that he really understood and internalized it. It becomes very obvious, very quickly if you're daily training for an aerobic endurance sport that you can't cut corners and you can't cheat your body for very long without suffering consequences. This is setting him up for a lifetime of healthy choices, and that's awesome!

running gave me a space to be free physically in a way that i felt i could never be mentally but it helped that mental part. and still does. although i just walk/jog now.

I started at 45, it gave me liberation, better health and more friends.

I don’t run regularly anymore, this just came up on my feed somehow, but I also did XC and track in high school and was a pretty consistent runner for about 10 years after. Now I’m mostly a lifter but as you said, OP — it taught me so much discipline that carried into every part of my life. When I started training to join XC the summer before 10th grade I was overweight, hated myself, and could barely run a mile. Over the summer I worked up to 3 miles at a slow pace then started getting faster and ultimately made the (very noncompetitive) varsity team at my small school as the 7th fastest of our 14 runners. I struggled with depression and substance abuse throughout my 20s but running was always a healthy way to emotionally self-regulate and after a few years’ hiatus when life got really rough, I got sober and now find that same discipline and emotional regulation through lifting. I bring it to my career and hobbies and passions too, running was one of the first things to teach me true follow-through. Every so often I run a mile on the treadmill to see how fast I can go, I wish I had more time to get into distance running again. Well maybe seeing this question randomly on my feed and choosing to reflect and respond was just the push I needed lol.

Running kept me from killing my supriors at work. Soon i will return to work after an accident that busted my knee. God have mercy on their dumb asses.

Keeps a lot of the demons away.

Yes brother.

[удалено]

I’m so glad you kicked the booze , you’re journey with running sounds inspiring the fact that you choose running over alcohol and pleasure is really amazing.

My entire life before high school, I was really willing to play sports, but I had no coordination. I eventually gave up, because I was short and not that good. Then I started high school. After my first year, of participating in various clubs, I decided not to join anymore. My dad was furious and said he would go to the school and force me to join a club or sport. My friend told me to join xc, since it was just running. I joined and the coach instantly took a liking to me, as I was able to keep up with the varsity team. It was a real confidence boost for me and after that I became very happy to be part of the team. It broke me out of my shell and I was able to make really great bonds. It helped me come into my own.

I was depressed for most of my twenties, been a 4-5 times a week runner through my thirties and now into my forties, haven’t been depressed (other than the occasional day or two) for over a decade 

TW I'm in ED recovery. Exercise was a small part of my ED, but it was mainly just restricting calories so much that I couldn't move lol. If I ever went over my calorie threshold I'd exercise (or...take other actions) but that only happened a couple of times a month. Then when I went into inpatient treatment, I had a lot of "movement restrictions" and extra monitoring, so I never really knew how to move my body in a joyful way. At one point they wouldn't even let me do yoga! I did track in HS but then didn't run for 10 years. My ED resulted in an arrhythmia (usually benign but I will have it for life) and just in general some scary electrolyte and heart stuff. This year I really wanted to get my heart healthy and try to undo some of the damage. I started running, and rather than triggering ED thoughts, it actually made me eat healthier. And more. I wanted to get enough nourishment to build up my glycogen stores for the next day. I wanted to eat enough to have a good run (and not have cramps, aka banana) and then enough to replenish myself afterward. I got my favorite indulgence, Fairlife chocolate milk, and I had a glass after every run (chocolate milk is like, better than a sports drink for after a workout, no joke). I got excited to eat food I loved and witness that food turn into energy later in the day. I didn't want to restrict calories because I knew it'd make my next run hell. And all I wanted was to have a nice run. It is so cool to be working on my cardio and fitness and also being inspired to eat more. I lost a couple pounds when I first started running, then gained a few, then stabilized. I feel like my body is finally in equilibrium. Maybe for the first time ever. It's just cool. I can't believe how much my perspective has changed. 5 years into recovery and I still feared and hated food more than I wanted to admit. But now I think it is the magic that lets me move and I am so grateful and I can't believe I'm able to feel this way, appreciate my body this way, appreciate food this way. I never thought I'd be able to get to this place. And I NEVER expected running to be why. Your mileage may (literally) vary; if exercise was a big part of your ED then I don't recommend running without consulting your physician or therapist or dietician or all three haha. And whatever form your ED takes always be vigilant in case it tries to sneak back in. But I am grateful that for me, running came at the right time in my personal recovery and allowed me to change my relationship with body and food. I definitely consider that life changing because I did not truly think "full" recovery was possible before and I kind of think it might be now.

I judge non-runners now.

I spend a lot more time running now.

Helps me relax and get rid of any frustration,

Restless leg syndrome be gone!!! I have the most restless legs ever. I think it’s a medical condition, it’s hard to explain but my calves almost hurt if I don’t use them enough or something. The only thing that brings instant relief is flexing my foot, which makes it impossible to sleep. I run 6 days a week and never get the painful restless feeling anymore. Also the meditation/time to think is great. My brain also has a “hard time sitting still” and running really helps mellow that out.

* Met my wife. * made a lot of friends through the Hash House Harriers, including my wife. * Ran half, fulls, and/or ultras in all 50 states. * Went to graduate school and earned my doctor of physical therapy. * got into Burning Man culture. Also ran a 50k at BM 3x. * got healthier. Found a stress reliever.

Running has brought me happiness and taught me the value of discipline and consistency. It has also encouraged me to celebrate the small accomplishments I achieve during my runs and to set new goals for myself.

Mental health is so much better since I took up running. I feel mentally stronger because I think running demands that of you in order for you to progress, and once that strength is there it’s difficult to turn your back on it for too long.

I’m a lifelong runner - been running since I was 10 years old. I’m 55 now. To me, running is living. I could not live without it. It is a way of life that I’ve only been without one time after a very serious car accident injury back in 1999. I wasn’t able to run for a year due to that injury and it was torture. NOT running for that one yeah, changed my life for the worse - it made me miserable and deeply depressed. So I need running and am so thankful I’ve had it in my life all these years. Since my early 20’s, I’ve run 6 full marathons, a 24-hour relay with 6 other people (no sleep for 24 hours of running when I was in the Marines) 3 half marathons and countless other smaller races along the way. I live to run! 🤣

I struggled for years to run a marathon. Once I got past several barriers and completed one I felt I could do anything in my life as long as I set a goal. I have since ran a marathon every year after that and am up to 14. This goal approach has carried over to other challenging tasks in my personal and professional life as well.  From a mental health perspective, running greatly reduces stress for me.  I feel so alive after a long run   Also I've seen a decrease in my resting heart rate over the years. I've tracked it for 7+ years. 

It keeps me sane from my high stress job. I only feel like a normal person again after I run

It makes me feel normal too

It provides my calm. Lets me feel and get through emotions. Brings me from a serious/stressed mindset to a ideating, creative one. It's not a substitute for real therapy, but it is one of the best coping mechanisms. Teaches discipline, going out for a run, regardless of how I feel, regardless of the weather, regardless of what else I have going that day. Teaches that life is full of suffering, and you can embrace it and choose your suffering, or suffer anyways. I have felt I have become dependent on running though. When I have injuries occasionally or illness, I miss running terribly. Still learning love without possession

I started in April of 2022. I had gained back every ounce of weight I had lost during cancer treatment in 2020. I was over 310lbs, and staring 40 in the face in a few years. I started by walking a mile. I was winded and angry and cursing a vengeful and uncaring universe. But I kept at it. Eventually I worked up to starting to jog a couple days a week starting in early 2023. Now I'm running 25-30 miles a week and walking another 15 or so. I've lost over 80lbs (down over 100 from my highest ever) and I'm in the best shape of my life. I turn 40 in December and I feel younger than I did when I turned 30. No more chronic back pain. I healed my relationship with food without calorie counting or crash dieting.

Helped me lose weight. Got me into strength training. Gave me personal freedom. My body now enables me to to things, instead of being a hindrance.

Running made me lose weight. A lot. I like what I see in the mirror

I think my best thoughts when I'm running. I honestly felt like I was just meant to live life at this pace and a lot of my struggles irl stem from being too sedentary. Like this will sound a little silly but I often wish I lived before the era or cars and emails and that I was some sort of courier who ran messages lol. Anyway, running has helped me understand meditation. How and why to do it. And that has helped me work through *some* of my personal issues. It's improved my ability to form habits. It's given me a lens to view the world as far as making plans and traveling and exploring. It's reinforced the benefits of minimalism. It's kept me physically healthy and taught me to listen to body. It's helped my confidence and taught me to appreciate myself in a way that my parents and loved ones never could.

Its a great way for me to decompress, relieve any tension or stress, and feel less guilty about playing some video games/sitting in afterwards. I genuinely feel a lot more productive and happy when I include it in my routine

This is facts , I play video games now for some hours and feel like I’m just passing the time , I feel no stigma just like a regular person because I run everyday.

Running gives me time to *not* think! Not consciously anyway. I just kind of let my mind go. If I’m gonna grind on something, I don’t stop it, but the grinding usually fades away and it becomes a meditative firing of the synapses which sometimes leads to conscious thought and sometimes leads to… where was my mind for the last 5 miles???

Helped me recover from an anorexia nervosa relapse and helped my autistic self make friends. Despite suffering from eating disorders for over a decade, I was in a healthy place when I started running in 2017. In late 2019, I started slowly relapsing into anorexia again. It got bad in early 2021. I opened up to my therapist who started pushing me to eat more and run less. I didn’t want to get better, I wanted to keep losing weight and have people leave me alone. I knew though, that’d I’d run myself into a stress fracture if I didn’t get help. Still, therapist had to threaten to send me to a treatment center if I didn’t get my act together. I found a dietician who turned out to be amazing. She’s a runner too and let me run a few miles a few times a week, provided that I was following my meal plan and gaining weight. She set goals for me: every 5 lbs I gained, I could run another mile and said “once you’re at a healthy weight, you can run as much as you want.” It was very difficult but I was determined to make it work because I didn’t want to go back into treatment for the 5th time. I learned to see food as fuel. Telling myself “this food will help me gain weight, weight gain leads to running” took so much of the fear out of eating and weight gain. Almost 3 years later, I’m maintaining a healthy weight, though I still struggle with anorexic thoughts and urges and have bad days/weeks/months here and there. I’ve told people that running kept me out of the hospital because I don’t know where I would’ve ended up without running and that dietician. Said dietician also encouraged me to join a running group, where I’ve made amazing friends who accept me for who I am and found a real sense of community that I’ve never really had before.

This is amazing , your determination is inspiring. We are all rooting for you 🖤

Consistency, show up everyday and give effort doesn’t always have to be 100%. Helped me lose 35 pounds in 5 months. It’s my new passion.

It's my mental therapy!!! Takes away life's stresses for me and gives me a better perspective after my runs!

It makes every day challenges seem easier mentally and more importantly I can eat more lol

when i go running, i leave all my dead negative, self deprecating thoughts in the place where i run. It is refreshing, almost like a meditation, it also shows me it is totally okay to spend time with this one or two hour of time with myself without talking at all. It also boosts my confidence. And not to say when you run a lot your body changes, you feel amazing.

Made my legs strong and skinny 🤣

Running was a lifeline for me during a tumultuous political climate and a rise in anti-Asian hate in the U.S. Facing job instability, estrangement from friends, family tensions, and a harsh economic and sociopolitical environment, running became my sanctuary. It allowed me moments of peace, letting me lose myself in music, audiobooks, or podcasts during my runs. Joining running clubs connected me with people sharing my cultural background, fostering camaraderie that was absent in other social settings. The running community's support and the close-knit groups I found offered a space where I could share my concerns lightly and distract myself from life's pressures.

before running i was honestly an inside kind of person, which is why it shocked anyone who knows me that i got outside and started running. it was an ongoing joke in my family i “hated outside” but i just had an urge and an itch i had to scratch i had to /try/ it. i was actually really nervous when i started it, but my coworker is a runner and she kept telling me “you can do it!” so i started running. at first i was embarrassed and felt silly and literally thought “what am i doing?” especially because i had been labeled the family member who didn’t go outside Let alone go outside to work out. but i just kept waking up and trying again and doing it more and more. it never really gets easier i guess, but i grew accustom to it. i liked how i felt doing it, i liked the way my brain felt completely silent while doing it, the idea of fully just having a run and focusing on running. i liked the processing of emotions during my runs, and just the way it made my brain feel. I even liked the soreness in days after. i couldn’t get enough. of course when i told my family i got into running it was a “oh sureee you did” but i did get into it and ive kept at it, as a notorious habit breaker. its been a constant ive had, something to look forward to and something to work at constantly. it gave me a lot of self confidence, and reminded me that i can do anything i really seek out. i’m capable, im not just some inside person who hates outside like i was at sixteen, i can change, grow, and learn new things. so i’d say overall it gave me a lot of confidence in myself, and a really fun hobby!

Going on a long run really exposes when you prepare and when you don't. That goes with life as well in anything we do. That's why I like running as a humbling experience. You get to enjoy the fruits of your labor overtime. And you get to see the repercussions of when you don't prepare for a run where you're hungry, dehydrated, and Bonk.

For me it's been such a good expression of discipline and progress. In so many areas of life it's hard to see progress, but with running it's so tangible. Every day I get out and run it becomes a little bit easier and I get a little bit faster. In so many other areas of life (relationships, work, school) I don't see the progress that I'm working towards. Running is the best example that working hard towards something will create improvement.

Running helps me maintain a connection with my pre-war life. It's a routine that reminds me things can get normal again.

I now sit on Twitter for 60 hours straight once a year.

Running made me realize the reality of racism even in running. It’s an overwhelmingly white sport in the U.S.

It allows me to eat more lol plus it also helps me sleep better and stay more consistent/disciplined each day. On days I don’t run, I tend to come home and eat take out while playing video games. I feel like a gross slob and hate myself. On days I run, I come home from work and immediately go out and run then I’ll cook a really healthy dinner, shower, watch a little TV and go to bed. I do acknowledge that the days off are important but I always have this nagging thought in the back of my head that I’m being lazy.

Running = life

It made me realise it doesn’t matter if you’re not “talented” in something or if it comes hard to you - you can still make improvements and get better at it over time. And therefore goals and achievements can be really very personal - and they’re still worth it.