Why running became my constant life companion!

If I tell you guys running has changed my life right at the outset, you might not believe me! So, I’ve decided to give you all a detailed account of how the activity has reshaped me, my mindset, and aided my relationship with my kids. I hope you will have made up your mind about running by the time I’m done.

Whenever we’re faced with physical danger, our body’s natural reaction is either fight or flight. While most of us are inclined towards flight, what we fail to notice is that the fear mechanism only heightens when we are confronted with extreme emotional hurdles.

I hit kind of a rough patch during my separation with my husband, felt like I was in a rut! It was during this time that I got really tired of my job, and something just wasn’t clicking with the kids. All in all, I was pretty blindsided by the curve balls life was throwing at me, leaving me completely battered, lonely, and despondent!

So, naturally, my body responded by running till it was exhausted and felt way more light and breezy than it did before. I have always exercised since my childhood, however, not with the kind of commitment that is required. I used to play basketball in high school and ever since I moved to a metro city, I started hitting the gym twice or thrice a week for some light to moderate workouts! The concept of running didn’t sit well with me as I thought why go through the pain of running? Especially when it’s raining, who even does that?

But, fortunately, I found that pain is precisely the reason I wanted to run again! When life was being a complete downer, I wanted to punch somebody in the face! So, instead of being tagged a criminal, I thought of channelling that feeling of despondency into something more productive.

So, 4 years back, I started running and didn’t stop! Here’s a few interesting truths that were revealed to me during that course:

• My priorities have undergone a major shift. Where I was once a person who didn’t believe in structures or routines, I found myself waking up early on weekends, and spending quality time with my kids!
• I became more self-competitive! Don’t get me wrong, being competitive runs in my family’s veins, but in my case, it often enabled self-destructive behaviours! However, when I started running, I started to compete against myself, trying to beat that last kilometre hit on my GPS watch!
• I was finally in tune with my body and was definitely in a chirpier mood! Running is all about you, unlike other sports. It’s your body propelling through space, it’s that simplicity that makes runners more complacent with their bodies.
• I started to run towards something, instead of away from something. Right after my separation, I started indulging in a lot of emotional eating, and unhealthy lifestyle habits. When I started running, I had to give my body my undivided attention, so the longer I ran, the more I felt like I had a goal towards which I’m headed.
• Finally, I found out that time is completely irrelevant! Whether you are racing on a track trying to hit the goal time, or in the middle of a speed workout, you are always compelled to live in the moment while running, connecting with each breath, which makes time completely irrelevant. For me, running is about those charged moments and has nothing to do with the cumulative time.

The benefits of running are countless and very individualistic and nonconformist! It is a bountiful gift that will give you so much in return, only if you pay forward and just keep at it.

Are you a runner as well? Does running feel like breathing to you? Tell me about it in the comments below!