Why I Run

I may have a penchant for melodrama, but it’s no exaggeration to say that jogging has become my panacea, a sanctuary in my busy life.

Juggling being a single parent, a career writer, and occasional intrepid side-hustler is tumultuous and unpredictable at best – outright chaotic at worst. As my corporate colleagues can surely attest, after-work hobbies, like running, working out, art, or music, are like a grounding anchor in the stormy seas of modern business life.

It’s the best feeling in the world. Running free. Covering ground step by dogged step as you discover untapped reserves of stamina, and unlock higher gears of sheer willpower, that you didn’t know you had.

Alone, immersed in nature, with your body preoccupied by the labour of pure locomotion, your mind is left free to wander untethered.

You find yourself shedding your various duties and responsibilities, stride by stride. Layer by layer, you sweat off your roles as worker, as breadwinner, as a member of a tribe, as a person within a society.

You’re granted a sublime respite; a hiatus in which your status as cog in the socio-economic machine fades into insignificance, and the fact of it seems almost trivial, in the face of that raw, organic struggle to just keep on running.

For those moments, you’re not a tax paying citizen. You’re no longer a member of whatever various communities, sub-cultures and committees you subscribe to. You’re freed of any political standpoints or partisan affiliations you might hold dearly in your ordinary, non-running life.

As more of your focus is exiled to an exquisite, sometimes painful awareness of your physical form, you succumb to complete and utter presence within the moment. Even your family roles are temporarily forgotten. You’re no longer a father, a son, or a brother….

Instead, you’re just you. Plain and simple. You are your muscles and your breath.

Other moments and spaces, and people, cease to exist. The ego dissolves. The constant inner monologue is quelled, and you’re reduced to the organism of your body, and your environment. It’s just you and the world, and It’s just you against the road.

There’s something elegant, minimal, and cerebrally cleansing about that zen-like state. Of nature we are forged, and in nature we find ourselves.

And, as it goes on, you must pit yourself against your own limitations, and every step, every breath becomes a struggle.

Continuous movement takes real tenacity, but its ultimately the best form of exercise.

The brain’s reward centre is responsible for both effort and exertion: movement and motivation are themselves intrinsically interlinked, both driven by the now notorious dopamine rush.

A bit like a heroic dose of psychedelic mushrooms, jogging is a way to hit the reset button. It helps you get perspective, eases your anxiety, and leaves your feeling generally a little better about things.

And, if you run in the sun, you get the health benefits of vitamin D coursing through your bloodstream 😊

You also just get out of your work bubble, and immerse yourself in the world, as it exists today. It gives you a chance – or perhaps even an excuse! – to explore your neighbourhood, town or area.

You pass, by turns grand mansions with immaculate fairy-tale gardens, and later, bridges where squatters sleep the day away (probably because not safe to sleep there at night, you realise).

As you immerse yourself in your run, you get a sense – even in passing – of how people around you live, and the kinds of problems they might have.

With the stoicism of completing a run, even though it’s tough, comes newfound emotional resilience. You return with a more level-headed sense of whatever challenges you’re facing. The problems in your life haven’t changed, but your attitude towards them has shifted.

I quit smoking cigarettes two and a half years ago. I’ve been back at the jogging for about 18 months now and I’m feeling immensely grateful for life, health and breath.

Running is fantastic stuff! No matter what level of fitness you’re at right now, I heartily recommend it!

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go for a run…