lessons from running

I love running. It’s not just something I do for exercise, but something I would voluntarily do for fun. I recognize that this is a foreign concept for most people. There is just something about lacing up my running shoes and getting outside that fuels my fire and makes me feel whole in a way nothing else can.

This is not something I was born with. From kindergarten to 6th grade I hated running. I played on a soccer team and unquestionably had the slowest pace and least amount of endurance compared to my teammates. I could barely run a lap around the field without walking some. I was always a pretty athletic kid, but something about having to run when it wasn’t my choice made me drag my feat begrudgingly down the field. When I quit soccer at the beginning of 7th grade and made a 360 to Cheerleading of all things, I paradoxically became a runner. (Side-note: My 360 shift to being a cardio-lover may or may not have been brought on by my adopting a vegan diet in 7th grade. Just saying).  Though cheerleading was physically taxing in other ways, there was something I missed about the high cardio aspect of soccer.

So I started waking up at 6:45 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday before school to run two miles with my mom. I started small. We set out in the mornings on a two-mile route and I usually ran some-walked some at an uneven pace. As the years went on I continued running, even without my mom. I started running on my own, more often, more miles. Creating different routes with longer mileage as I went and discovering new neighborhoods and landmarks of my hometown that I otherwise wouldn’t have known. All throughout the rest of middle school and high school, I continued to run. Even joining the Cross Country Team at my high school. Something that would have shocked my 6th-grade soccer coach. Though I loved the comradery of being on the Cross Country team, I would often skip afternoon practice to go home and run on my own. I wanted to run where I wanted, for how long I wanted and not have to keep up with anyone’s pace but my own. All the while unknowingly learning lessons about myself and about life that I can wouldn’t have discovered if, after soccer, I had decided never to run again.

Flash forward to now, 2017. I’m 18 years old and a proud runner at heart. I have completed a half marathon (which was my goal to run before my high school graduation date), and I run 4-6 miles a day, as many days a week as I can. All of this backstory about my journey with running is to say how much running has taught me about myself. And how it has been a vital aspect of my journey to self-knowledge, and self-love.As my mind usually works in the form of lists, here is my grand list of what running taught me.

1. Nature cures all

   I don’t run on a treadmill. In fact, I would rather not run at all then run on a treadmill. A big part of running,  at least for me, is getting outside in nature.  Fresh air and sunshine never fail to do the soul good.

2. Slow and steady wins the race

   I never was one to keep up with the pace of others. I have always preferred finding my own rhythm and using it to my advantage. I remember back on my 6th-grade soccer team when my coach made us do the dreaded “12-minute test”. Which is an endurance test where we would have to run as many laps as we could in 12 minutes (4 laps make a mile) I managed to make it 3 laps in the allotted 12 minutes A feat that I thought was very good! But for my coach, and compared to the rest of my team, 3 laps was an insufficient amount. Looking back, I realize that going at my own slow and steady pace showed me that I possess something my teammates didn’t. Stamina. I hate running fast, but I can run and run for as long as I feel without getting winded. The turtle was right. Slow and steady wins the race.

3. A greater sense of direction

   Running around town helps you to grasp the layout of the land and gives you your bearings. You begin to see where streets lead and connect, shortcuts and the distances between places. Running helped me to know my hometown like the back of my hand. And now in Florence, running has helped me discover the city on a much deeper level.

4. Street smarts

   This is something I feel like I have learned a lot of from running. Since I am a teenage girl always running by myself, I feel like my gut instincts have heightened. I can sense whether or not it is a good idea to run down a road when I notice some sketchy characters around. I know how to avoid and stay hidden from cars and creepy construction workers. And I have learned that unfortunately, sometimes the resting b*tch face is necessary.

5. Pattens and People

   This is a big one. No matter where you are, running helps you see patterns and helps you recognize people. I know that the store owner down the street opens at 9 and says “Ciao” to me every day when I head out to run. I know that Italian High Schoolers flock to the bus stop every morning at 10:30. I recognize other runners who run my same route. I even recognize dogs and their owners who take their morning stroll to the park every day. Running and observing the things around me has helped me recognize these patterns of the place I live and the people who I share it with.

6. I work best when self-motivated

   There is no doubt about this one. I am an extremely self-motivated person. An “Upholder” according to Gretchen Rubin’s book “The Four Tendencies”. I don’t need any external motivation to do something. If I want to do it, I will. Running has been a great example of this. If I plan to run in a day, I will. These routine morning runs have given me a great feeling of fulfillment each time I get in my miles.

7. There is no such thing as a bad run

   This is also very true. Run when you’re sad, happy, sick, tired, lethargic, excited. No matter what you will always feel better afterward. A run is always a good idea.

8. Discover what’s around you

   Running is like a self-guided tour of wherever you are. You lead the way, you pick the route. Just lace up and explore.

9. It’s all in the grind

   When I was training myself for my half marathon, this was something I would repeat in my head over and over when the training got tough. It means to me that great accomplishments are not made in the easy, victorious parts of the journey. Champions are made in the grind. The tough, gritty, hard parts that you would rather not endure but you do anyway and come out on the other side a champ. “If it doesn’t challenge you, It doesn’t change you”.

10. How to keep yourself accountable

    This goes hand in hand with my self-motivation. Through running I have learned that I am best at keeping myself accountable. And though it doesn’t always come as easily to others, I think that setting a running routine and sticking to it is a great way to keep accountability to yourself. It is a practice of self-love to be able to come through for yourself.

Gotta Run. XO ~ Bella