On: Running

My attitude towards running has changed quite a bit over the past year. You could say i made a 180 degree turn : from loathing to love.

Last summer, i couldn't even run for twenty minutes at a more-than-slow pace, whereas now, i'll go for 40 minute runs and i don't have the speed of a turtle anymore. Which i am pretty damn proud of, seeing as i always used to think i could never be a runner. So even though i still don't consider myself to be one, at least now i don't start complaining as if the world was going to end if we have to run for more than 5 minutes.

The biggest difference though is the way i think about running. Yes it is a type of exercise and i certainly do it partly to stay fit, but it does so much more than that. Whenever i feel stuck in a circle of thoughts, running helps me clear my mind as i simply cannot think anymore (or not as much). Everything seems so much clearer when i'm running, it's as if my brain just shuts out the less important things so i can concentrate on what really matters. Running kind of puts things back into perspective for me, and really relieves me when i'm feeling stressed. Which seems to be like, all the time.

No matter how down i might have felt before, i always return from a run with more energy and motivation (which doesn't really make sense as you're basically getting rid of energy but whatever). I get my best ideas while running (and in the shower - anybody else feel that way?) and as i'm so motivated i also actually go through with them.

I' just realized again what a positive effect running can have on me today. The past few weeks i didn't go for runs as often as before, and it showed. So when i almost freaked out trying to study for a pretty important biology test coming on tomorrow, i just put on my Nike's and went for a run. For the first time since what,October, i could feel the sun on my skin. Only about 100 metres away from my house a grin started to creep on my face, which then turned into a smile - people driving by probably though i was some sort of a maniac, but i quite simply didn't care. It felt as if all the worries and stress that had build up over the last two weeks just slid of more and more with every step i made. It became clear to me that there was no need to worry about that biology test as i already knew almost everything i needed to know to take it, that i didn't have to stress about eating healthier or working out more, cause hey, i'm fine just the way i am. Once i got back, my mood had lifted enormously and i felt so much more confident than i has in the morning.

Running makes me feel free, relaxed and confident about myself, and honestly if it's good for me physically too, why skip it. I'm certainly not trying to "run away" from my problems and stress, it just makes me more capable to cope with any issues i'm having. And when school gets as stressful as it is at the moment, i really need something to keep the balance