“I Feel God’s Pleasure When I Run”
Oftentimes, when I tell people I run Cross Country I am met with an incredulous look and some form of the inevitable question: “Why do you do that to yourself?” Running is too often used as a punishment in other sports and the enjoyment (yes, ENJOYMENT) of running is taken out of the equation. So, to all the people who have ever asked me this open-ended question (the list is a long one), instead of answering with the generic “because it’s fun,” I have come up with five solid reasons why I run and why you should too. In this post, I will go over the first of these reasons.
- To quote track olympian, Eric Liddell, “I feel God’s pleasure when I run.”
Running, like all aerobic exercise, is clinically proven to help reduce stress and anxiety and it helps release endorphins which contribute to what many call the “runner’s high.” The reason I would argue running is the best form of these aerobic exercises is because it is one of the only forms of exercise where you don’t need anything else except a good pair of shoes. Rain or shine, hot or cold, you can almost always run if you’re motivated enough.
Whenever I run, the stress and anxiety of the day fades into the distance and my only focus is taking the next stride and the next breath. There is something incredibly freeing about feeling the wind in your face and embracing the pain of a hard workout – not only is running good for your physical fitness, it also is good for your mental health. When most kids run, they are doing sprints for their sport or running a mandatory mile in PE, but that is not my experience with running at all. If this were the running I knew, I would not have spent the last four years of my life dedicating a large portion of my time to it. To anyone who has never decided to just run a mile or two at an easier pace, I highly encourage you to hit the road and give it a try. After a little bit of work, the body quickly adapts and running becomes less like a chore and more like a form of stress release.