What’s running like? That’s the question the Runners’ Lounge is asking us today.

I did not have to think much about this as I have said it many times in my running life: running is my mental health professional!

Although I ran track in high school (no more than 1600 meters though) (yes, that’s one mile for those who don’t know the metric system!) I did not really start running recreationally until I moved to Pennsylvania in the fall of 1987. Until then I had lived a fairly sheltered life in my parent’s house with my grandparents living downstairs and no siblings to compete with for attention. When I left this cradle of comfort I did it properly by uprooting myself and moving across an entire ocean to a totally foreign country and subjecting myself to living with total strangers for what was supposed to be a year. As an AuPair I was responsible for a two month old infant whose parents worked all day in their own business while she cried and fussed non-stop. And by non-stop I mean WITH ONLY ENOUGH MOMENTS TO TAKE A NEW BREATH FOR MORE SCREAMS! During those early days I often wondered what I had gotten myself into when I was walking around the neighborhood with the bundle of joy screaming down the neighborhood. Then one day I was overtaken by a jogger and as he ran down the road with a spring in his step as if he had no care in the world an idea formed in my head. The next morning I woke before dawn, before anyone was stirring, put on a pair of shorts, a cotton T-Shirt, my tennis (!!!) shoes, and snuck out the door into the crisp autumn morning. I lived on a circular road at the time and my goal was to run around once. I made it to the fourth mailbox… and walked the rest. Being stubborn by nature I did the same thing the next morning and the morning after that. Every day I ran one more mailbox until one day I had made it all the way around. From that day on there was no stopping me. Eventually I managed to run around the circle twice and then three times, then four, and then I ventured out further and further, running through the beautiful countryside of Chester County just outside Philadelphia. As I ran the rolling hills (I did buy some proper running shoes at one point) something started to happen that I did not expect. Besides the endorphin rush that every athlete raves about I realized that for that first hour of the day, out on the open road, my mind just wandered from one thought to the next without getting hung up on anything. There were no fussing baby, no nagging host mother, no demands, and any aggravation was put into perspective and I came back to the house re charged and ready to tackle any obstacle that would come my way during the day. And once I was truly hooked on this meditative state there was no going back.

I ran every day during my two years as an AuPair, two years with the same family, eventually moving to the Bay Area with them and helping raise their second child for his first year.

Then I moved to Munich, the lovely city in Bavaria that came to fame during the ‘72 Summer Olympics (the Germans really know how to put on a show…). Munich meant studies. Studies meant stress. I had never been that interested in school past Grade 4 and the years of high school are not exactly something I should write home about. But once I decided to go to university and pursue a Master’s Degree I also made a promise to myself to hunker down and get through this degree in record time. After all I had plans beyond Munich and studying. And hunker down I did, making it through what would be the equivalent of an undergraduate degree in two years and the Master’s in another 2 1/2. And all throughout those four years and six months I ran. Usually in the morning but when class started too early, especially during the winter (hey, go to Bavaria in the winter sometime. I dare you!), I ran in the afternoon. It cleared my mind and prepared it to absorb more knowledge. I also had three room mates at one time, all women, and needed to get away at least once a day.

After Munich I moved back to the Bay Area and in with the man that would eventually become Hubby. We did not exactly have that boy-meets-girl-fall-in-love-and-get-married kind of romance. No, it was so much more than that. It was fractured and complicated, emotionally draining and ill-timed and for years before we eventually moved in together we we had swum upstream against our intense connection. And that was before his divorce… And even though we now finally lived together things were far from perfect happiness. More days than not during those first two years running was the only thing that kept me sane. And sanity was needed as everything else us around had seemed to have lost its’ marbles. We made it through! But I used up a lot of running shoes during those early years.

Then we moved to Santa Barbara and I started to work full time. I loved it! But with a full time employment came the need to blow off steam every so often, well, every day, really. My daily run kept me balanced and my morning routine bonded me to this furry guy. For all those years in Santa Barbara you could find us on early foggy mornings pounding the deserted pavements of this lovely town. Santa Barbara is also the place where I took my recreational running to a whole new level by signing up for my first marathon. Things were getting serious! I had always run by myself or with Nelson and all of a sudden I had to deal with group runs. I wondered what it would do to my mental health but am happy to report that it had little to no effect! Or so I believe! I made great friends on those group runs and even managed to get into my meditative state at times. I must have enjoyed it as I stuck with it.

Now we live in the desert! Where it is hot! And dry! Did I mention it is hot!? Very hot! And I still run. Every day (except for Yoga Saturdays), rain or shine. If it gets unbearable or I get out too late (since I am no longer working getting in gear is often tough, People!) I head to the gym and run on the treadmill.

It is obvious that running has become a necessity for me and I am not sure I want to find out what kind of person I would have turned into over the past two decades had I not had my daily run. It balances me and makes me much more pleasant, in fact I cannot remember the last time I flew off the handle. Which is a good thing. Let’s leave it at that and call it a day, Dr. Freud.

Today’s Running Tip: Exercise benefits your Mental Health

You don’t have to be suffering from a clinical or diagnosed Mental Illness to get substantial mental health benefits from exercise and fitness.  Studies have shown that even short workouts can help lower sadness, tension and anger along with improving resistance to disease in healthy people.  According to FindCounseling.com “Many people exercise to boost confidence along with reducing anxiety and stress, all of which contribute to psychological health and well-being.  So, exercise can be viewed as a preventative or wellness activity that may actually help prevent physical and emotional conditions.  By the way, even short bursts of activity help individuals feel better, which means that you don’t have to spend hours at the gym to gain real mental health benefits.”