I Finally Understand Running

Over last three months I’ve changed my lifelong hatred of running.

I’m 35. I’ve been into fitness for the last 15 years, but it’s mostly been around lifting weights. I walk a ton, usually 10,000 - 15,000 steps/day. But running has always been a chore and one I just decided to avoid.

I take pride in my health + activity levels, and have always just said ah I’m active enough, I don’t need to run.

But in my guest to be well roundedly athletic and healthy for a 35 year old male, I felt that running was missing. I don’t need to run marathons, but I’d like to be able to run 3-5 miles at will. I thought that would be a relatively good benchmark of fitness, so I started to mix in running. Once a week I’d run about three miles. And it was great. I enjoyed running more than I thought. I got many benefits from it I had forgotten about. And honestly it just felt great to be outside, having some good music in my headphones, and go for a run. When you get some Drake Jimmy Cooks or Rich Flex or No Friends In The Industry or Lil Wayne Let The Beat Build or even Mario Winans I Don’t Want to Know… I get a different gear when running. Some goosebumps and a big smile on my face singing to myself and no one knows what I’m so happy about.

Anyway, I wanted to chase this “high” from running more frequently, so I started running three days a week.

And then all of a sudden, I’m running every day. I can’t wait to run. Nothing crazy, lately it’s just been a quick 2 or 3 miles in so I can go out and back in 20-30 minutes. But it feels like a cheat code.

What I like about running:

- Improves cardiovascular health. Makes my heart stronger, something I care more than ever about as I get older.

- Improves my mood + mental clarity. After a run problems seem to go away or a solution exposes itself, or things that were bugging me before or I was cranky about or grump about seem to just go away - and I am just an overall better, more tolerant, likable person after a run (feel the same way about weight lifting and other works out too, but it feels sharper after a run)

- Increase in energy. Maybe this is also related to the mood thing but I feel like my battery recharges and I have a boost in energy after running

- It gets me outside. We were meant to be outside, not inside huncher over a computer all day; I try to get as much time outside as I can and feel better when I’ve been outside; and there’s something about running outside that feels primal .. it’s just you, using your body, to run.

- It is versatile + efficient. It takes no equipment - just your shoes + the right clothing. It doesn’t take much time?– 20-30 minutes/day. Or even 14 minute run. I can achieve those benefits above anywhere, anytime. It’s like a drug. And I can access it anytime. It’s an incredible tool for heart + mind + body.

I don’t know if I’ll run everyday forever, but it seems like some of the best 20-30 minute medicine you can find. Especially when I have the headphones in.