How Running Changed My Whole Fitness Approach
And how it can do the same for you
For most, if not all of my life, I have hated running with a deep enduring passion. Pounding the pavement reminded me of those traumatic gym classes where we were measured by how quickly we could run a mile. I couldn’t understand why people seemed to enjoy it.
But then the pandemic happened…
Suddenly, I was cut off from the world of gym classes, ellipticals, and yoga options. What other options did I have? I won’t lie — I was certainly resistant at first. I signed up for online at-home workouts. I biked for an hour every other day. But it just wasn’t enough. I wanted the kind of heart-pounding activity that I was used to. Something that really challenged me.
Luckily, I had what every would-be runner needs. A friend who was much more enthusiastic about running than I was. Just as I was about to embark on a very slow and cautious journey into running, she happened to also be restarting her running routine to prepare for a marathon. It didn’t matter so much that we didn’t run together all the time, but the mere fact of having someone who was struggling as much as I was made me feel not as alone.
So I started running. And I kept running. And it wasn’t as bad as I remembered it.
Granted, when I was running in high school, I was in terrible shape and didn’t have enough endurance, strength, or mental fortitude to truly enjoy the sport. But when I started this time — it quickly became something I really enjoyed. I looked forward to Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays as my running days and before long — I even found a forest path that kept me out of the sun during particularly warm days. Running became my primary workout rather than a secondary one.
And with enjoying running came a million other benefits. Because I was anxious about getting injured, I took the time to stretch actively for the first time in my life. It wasn’t worth the potential injury, I told myself sternly. On certain days of the week, I took full rest days — something I had never done before. Why?
When I was more active in yoga and pilates, I would often feel guilty taking a rest day. Even though I knew that both activities were challenging, they never left me feeling particularly sore in the days after. But with running, that changed. I was sore. I knew I needed rest in order to be stronger the next time. I also knew that I needed to change my yoga practice to something more restorative. I had to switch my patterns so that I felt I was eating enough and resting enough to give myself the fuel to continue running.
And now? I still run.
When I started running, I had a simple goal. Run a 5K. It didn’t need to be a formal race, but I wanted to prove to myself that I was fit enough to run a 5K without too much work. After looking up plans online, I found a few that lasted around eight weeks. At the time, that felt doable.
I’m going on month four now and I’m up to 7.5 miles on my long run days without too much trouble. Even with moving from below sea level to almost a mile above sea level, I am still putting in the miles and enjoying it. Of course, running at this altitude means my body is working much harder — but it still feels just as good.
Last week, I joined a boxing gym and I’ve been talking with members there about how to incorporate running and boxing into a healthy routine. Because what makes running so special to me is that it isn’t just running. It’s a healthier approach to life that forces me to be smarter about resting, eating, and most importantly — how to treat my body in a responsible way.
Most people would say that yoga changes their mindset about being healthy on a day-to-day basis but for me, running was what truly allowed me to literally take a step back, inhale deeply, and listen to what my body was telling me.
