How running can impact your mental health for the better
- Shawn Smith
- 23 Jan 2020
When Urbanicity said that they have an annual edition on mental health, I was instantly excited. Being someone who has used exercise as a coping mechanism for anxiety, it felt like the perfect opportunity to explore the topic further.
In February of 2019, I found running. That sounds like a weird thing to say; obviously I was aware of running before this and had heard of the drastic benefits it could have on someone’s physical and mental health. What I mean is, I found running’s purpose in my life and how it could help to shape me as a person.
At the time, I was drastically overweight. The scale touched nearly 300 lbs and I was more anxious than I had ever been before in my life. Naps became a regular part of my routine, less so because I was tired and more so because it was an escape from the feeling of doom that too often circulated through my brain.
And so, I found a treadmill at the local gym and started jogging. Slow at first, nothing crazy. I would do two or three minutes at a time, as much as my body could handle. Three minutes became five minutes and five minutes became 10. Before I knew it, I was doing 20 minutes without stopping.
In May I ran my first 5-kilometre race since a failed attempt to fall in love with running a few years before. Crossing that finish line, even for a 5-kilometre race, felt incredible.
Since February, I’ve lost 70 lbs thanks to running. But more importantly, I’ve found a clarity in my life that wasn’t there before. I’ve found a purpose and become more driven than I had been at any time previously.
I found a running scene that has supported me and helped me grow both as a runner and a person. I joined both Air Up There Run Crew and the Sketchy Run Club, two of the prominent run groups that frequent downtown. I’ve also become friends with members of the Lower City Runners, another group that has helped promote activity through running in Hamilton.
In November, I did something I thought I would never be able to do; I ran a half-marathon. In early September after running my first 10-kilometre race, encouraged by the running community I did something crazy and signed up for Hamilton Marathon weekend’s half-marathon.
It didn’t feel like something I was capable of but leaning on the experience of the runners around me, I put together a running plan that worked for me and did what just months before felt impossible by running the 21.1-kilometre distance for my hometown race.
The feeling of jubilation in crossing that line is impossible to describe. It’s the culmination of hard work unlike anything I had ever done before in my life. To set a goal and work every day towards that goal for more than two months is something we don’t get many opportunities to do.
Running has become my meditation on the move. It’s an escape from the stress of school, work, and life. For an hour or two, I can forget about that overdue bill or assignment that needs to be in tomorrow. It is an intense act of self-care that forces us to slow our brains down and focus on taking the next step.
Thankfully, we live in one of the most beautiful running cities in Canada. If you’re a trail runner, there are plenty of those around. If you prefer the streets, there’s lots to see as you run across the city.
My favourite spot is Bayfront Park. The flat, paved walkways are perfect for the mindless running that I’m often aiming for. Over the next few months you’ll see a lot of me down there, escaping the world for a few hours at a time as I prepare for the famous Around The Bay road race.
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