The 91st Edition

Life can feel loud, heavy, and overwhelming sometimes

A run has a unique way of settling down the nervous system.

Something to Think About

Movement is one of the simplest and most powerful ways we have to regulate our busy minds.

Something to Ask Yourself

Do you treat your ability to go for a run as a gift?

Personal Lesson

Last week, I felt it more than usual. The news cycle has been relentless. Perhaps too much time on the opinion-filled, outrage-dominated, and noisy internet. I find it very easy to get sucked into it all. With a bit of down time, I’ll find myself scrolling on social media, reading scary articles, listening to podcasts and news to try and “keep up”. Then I find myself worrying and my primate mind is carrying the weight of things I have little to no control over.

A few times this week I caught myself in that spiral. The world feels tense, complicated, and overwhelming. And, to be honest, one of the things that helped most was the simplest thing I could do: step outside, and go for a run.

It didn’t solve anything. 

The world was still the world when I got back, of course. But the seemingly uncontrollable noise inside my head had settled slightly. Able to see things from a new perspective , or at the very least, able to focus on the things I can control and quieten the things I can’t. I think it’s something to do with the fact that my body had done what it was designed to do. 

To move.

For an hour or so, life had been reduced to something simple again. 

Running – Life’s Metaphor

Running reminds us that the mind and body are deeply connected.

When the mind feels chaotic, the body can restore order. Movement grounds us in the present moment in a way that thinking alone rarely can.

Final Thoughts

We often talk about running solely in terms of performance.

But one of its greatest gifts has nothing to do with any of that.

For many of us, running isn’t just about faster times and improved fitness. Although, I do train to improve and it is a constant goal of mine to become a better ultra runner.

But, for me, most importantly, running is regulation.

Sometimes it feels like a pressure valve for the mind. A way of processing the world when it all feels like too much.

If done the mindfully, the act of moving your body through space can bring you back to something simple and human.

This is something precious, something worth prioritising, and something not worth underestimating.

There may come a time when we cannot run as easily as we can today.

So while we can, it’s worth recognising the privilege of simply stepping outside and moving.

When the world feels loud, go for a run.

It won’t fix everything, and we can’t expect it to.

But sometimes it gives your mind just enough peace to keep going.

RUN THE RUNNABLE 😉