Running for Happiness

To make this make sense, let?s start with the opposite ? what happens when I don?t run?

Well, let me tell you, it?s not pretty. When I don?t run the pressure and the crankiness and the unhappy builds. Bad days are exponentially worse - a stressful day at work becomes an gah-what-am-I-doing-with-my-life??? anxiety-fest. And little things that shouldn't bother me make me upset - I trip walking home and it becomes I can't even walk! Worst. Day. Ever. It?s very sneaky, but it slowly creeps up on me until I?m cranky 95% of the time, I don?t want to interact with other people (or myself for that matter) and I cry over everything.

As I boarded the Metro to go to practice last night, this days-without-running cranky-pants-wearing person was me to the max. I was a little concerned - I almost turned back. Oh no, I thought, how am I going to go out to dinner with my teammates after the run? I don?t know if I can be around people right now?

But then, magic happened. As my teammates began their track workout, I went off for a 30 minute run on my own (I?m trying to come back slowly - more on my new plan later). The run was unremarkable, but the change in my mood was intense. I started running and gradually all the stress and misery melted away until by the end I had a distant memory of my recent crankiness but it was totally gone. Just 30 minutes and I?m a real person again. 

It's like a pressure gauge - I need to run to let off some steam. And if I run every day, that pressure doesn't build up nearly as much.

So it?s really not about the immediate post-run ?runner?s high.? It?s about a lifestyle of runner?s happy.

Why do you like to run every day?

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