Why I love running away from my problems

I've just come back from a run and it seems high time to write a blog on my obsession with running. Running is a sport that changed my life. Many people fail to notice or recognise the vast range of benefits that are associated with a long run, and if you are not a runner, you will never understand. I do not run for an increased fitness level, to lose weight or even to be a runner- I run because the most exhausting part of my day is somehow also the most relaxing.

My parents, my friends often call me 'crazy' or say I'm ridiculous for going outside in the driving rain, armed with nothing but some short shorts and a water bottle. But crazy is in fact the exact opposite of what I am. Running is the key to my sanity- there is nothing better than pumping out all the stress, all the anxiety from the day through the soles of my feet. Reaching the mount of a hill with that purged, clean feeling, and the angrier I am, the faster I go. Hearing nothing but the rhythm of your feet against the pavement and the drumming of your heart in your ears lulls you into a sort of trance. As you feel the wind streaking past your face you are stuck in the here and now, and nothing else matters- there is no room in your mind for any thoughts other than keeping going and pushing yourself to the end.

Running, I feel, teaches you all the skills you need to get through life. It gives you a mindset of determination; to keep going, especially when it hurts, and pushing through the pain is what gets you the results, if you can train your mind for this, everything else in life is easy. You can't be a good runner without putting the work in, and if you put the work in, you will be a good runner.

The main reason I love running is that its accessible to everyone. It really doesn't matter if you're a fast runner, or a slow runner, someone who has trained for years or someone who has just started their first jog. Running is a community, in fact the next time you go out for a jog- look up at every runner who passes you and I guarantee they will give you a smile- it's like a secret runner's code! It is not limited to some elite group of people who are fit and lean, if you have the motivation to get out there, put one foot in front of the other and keep going, you are a runner.