On Wednesday, runners all over the world celebrated Global Running Day. Global Running Day was started as a movement in the US in 2009--do you remember National Running Day? It eventually evolved into a worldwide celebration of running and has grown in size and popularity over time.
As a longtime runner--I've been running for well over 30 years-- Global Running Day always reminds me to reflect on how important running is to me. I started running in my late 20s to help me manage my debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. Growing up as an anxious child in the 1970s, I didn't learn any coping skills. By the time I was in my 20s, I was struggling. Someone suggested that I try running as a good way to 'get rid of negative energy'. I didn't even know how to start. We were living in Chicago at the time, and I joined a beginner's running group with the Chicago Area Runners Association. We trained for a 5k--the Zoo run at the Lincoln Park Zoo--and I was hooked.
Looking back on my life as a runner, I can say without a doubt that running has been a gift to me. Running has carried me through every season of my adult life--through infertility to pregnancy to parenthood (especially the teenage years) to grad school and now into my current era--gram to be, retiree to be, and caregiver for my elderly parents. Running saved me from myself. Running gave me confidence and strength--both physical and mental. Running has brought some of the best people into my life. I don't know where I'd be without running, and I can't imagine a life without it! I'm grateful that my body still lets me move like this, and I continue to be grateful for the gift of running.
