Running Makes Me Sane

I've been running a lot lately. A lot. I'm not extraordinarily fast, I average about a 10 minute mile. I don't run very far, in the fall/winter I was averaging about 5 miles a run and now that it's summer and the heat and humidity are out in full force I'm averaging about 2 miles a run. But the frequency of my runs has gone up. Way, way up. I went from running 2-3 times a week, every other week to running 5-6 times a week, every week.

I never stopped to think why I started running so much, I just did. I didn't even think about running, I just did it. A few days ago it dawned on me why I'm running so much, and the realization came from someone else just making an observation; my stress level has been through the roof the last few months. Yes, I normally am stressed out about something, everyone is, but what I realized is that my stress level has gone up exponentially due to multiple things. One, my job is ridiculous. I have never hated going to work before but now, I'm always late and I'm leaving as early as I can and I don't care. It used to not be so bad but a lot has happened with the way the place is being managed, and I'm being treated like an idiot so yeah, I hate it. Second, I'm in a long distance relationship. I see Brandon once every 2-3 months. That's stressful. Third, I'm in the Navy. And then there's my family. Enough said.

Although I'm extremely stressed, I'm not freaking out like I usually do and I really think it's because I'm running so much. Not only running but lifting. I did 192 squats today 5 different ways with weight ranging from 125-200 lbs. Why? Two months ago you wouldn't have caught me dead in the free weight section and now I'm owning it. Two months ago you wouldn't have seen me running around the neighborhood twice in the same week.

"So what?" you might ask. Well, I'm realizing that - coming from a family who relies heavily on medicine to fix everything - sometimes the best medicine is just going outside and taking a walk. It's amazing to me how stressed I should be, but how stressed I'm not.

To all those who have enormous amounts of stress, or those battling depression and to all those who think that you can't do it, so you won't, now is the time to get up, go outside and do your body the best favor you can, get active.  You only get one life, might as well be happy with it.