How to Love Running

Top: Forever 21 (old) // Leggings: Forever 21 in XS // Shoes: Nike (youth size 3) // Sports Bra: Cotton On

Running came naturally to me as a teenager. I was a sprinter on the school track team for a split second and loved every millisecond of it. Unfortunately, I developed hip problems and I had to quit dancing, running, and basically everything else that involves anything more intense than walking. After a couple of surgeries and a long healing process, I was able to run again, but I had completely lost my zest for running. I was grateful that I could run again, but every time I tried, I hated it. 

I tried restoring my running obsession, but about a mile into my run, everything hurt. I just wanted to terminate my run only ten minutes after it began. My ankle constantly felt like it needed to pop. My head pounded with each slap of my foot on the sidewalk. I sold myself the idea that I had some type of running-induced asthma, but veritably, I was just out of shape and couldn't catch my breath. I assumed that the other runners on the trail judged me as I sloppily transitioned from a jog to a walk. Everybody else, even friends who claimed they hated to run, seemed to run a faster mile. I figured I should just go back to the gym and stick to the stupid elliptical. 

But then, as I approached my apartment's lawn, I collapsed onto the ground and kissed the soil (not really, but I did collapse as dramatically as I possibly could). I laid there and gazed at the cloudy sky, and though I ran two miles in 25 minutes, I somehow began to feel triumphant -- not because I ran oh-so-fast, but because I finished what I started. That is how I became hooked again.

How to Fall in Love with Running

1. Fall in love with simply completing your run. Don't compete or compare. Don't put unreasonable amounts of pressure on yourself to be fast. Just run and finish what you started.
2. Disconnect your head and your body. This is possibly one of the best things you can do while running. Don't pay attention to how your body is feeling. Just let your body go into auto pilot and let your mind wander. For this reason, a good running playlist is priceless. Running has become my meditation time.
3. Pace yourself. I doubt this is the first time you have ever heard this one, but don't ever forget it. Don't blow off all of your energy in the first mile or two. Start with a moderate jog and stick with that speed for the majority of the time. This, I have found, is the easiest way to feel that runner's high.
4. Run outdoors -- preferably a scenic route. If I am stuck on a treadmill like a hamster in a wheel, I am gazing at the numbers on the screen and counting down the seconds as I see sweaty gym goers in my peripherals and a ton of synthetic human-made stuff. It's no wonder two miles feels like four. When I am outside, there's a slightly new view with every step. Fresh air is spilling into my lungs, Vitamin D is soaking into my skin, and new trails can be explored. It's more stimulating and less monotonous, and it elevates my mood exponentially. 
5. Take a break and explore. If you are not training for a marathon or something of the sort, there is no shame in stopping half way through your run to explore or to sit, rest, and appreciate the day. I love to run into the canyon, pause to enjoy the mountains for 20 minutes, drink water, lay in the grass, and then run back home feeling refreshed. I value the time that I take at this point in my run to reconnect with nature, God, and myself -- to be away from the world as my blood is pumping and endorphins are coursing through my body. There is nothing quite like this moment for me. I find myself looking forward to my mid-run pit stop every day. 

Running has developed a bad rap for some people, and I genuinely believe it's because we feel that we are "supposed to" run a certain way. As long as your heart rate is in an exercise zone and you are staying safe, you run however you gosh darn want to.