Beginners and Beyond

123

Using running as your escape when life is giving you lemons (Read 428 times)


Sub1:40orBust

    I believe that many people use running as a temporary escape from reality, phone calls, email, family issues, etc. I am in this category as I relish that 1 to 2 hour run in the country where I am completely alone with my thoughts.

     

    I also find myself using running as something more. It has become a focal point that I can fall back on when the rest of life goes to pot. When I get overwhelmed by work, family schedule, bills, the economy, etc ... I knock out 6 to 8 miles in the countryside around my home and realize that life is actually really good. Then I can open up the work email again, pay the taxes, or deal with a weekend schedule that is non-stop activity. Looking ahead to 2013, I see many difficult challenges ahead. Rather than drink away the blues, I let my mind drift to planning my race schedule and dropping that half marathon PR ever closer to the 1:39:59 mark.

     

    There is a tipping point where running becomes obsessive and you ignore problems rather address them. Hopefully, I will never see that point and I can continue to use running as some sort of life anchor that keeps me positive for facing all of the crap that the real world brings.

     

    Just curios whether you consider running as a hobby, healthy lifestyle, social activity, escape, or something more.

    xor


      For me it is kind of all of the above.  I know that's hard to 'splain, but true.

       

      At the moment, it is the great escape.  The thing is, the stuff I'm mentally escaping from is also physically beating me down.  So the healthy aspects of running are the great equalizer (sort of; sometimes it is hard to tell).  Except that once you start running "a whole lot" it is not necessarily the healthiest thing ever, so really I do it because it is my hobby.  And helps me escape.  (re-enter endless loop here)

       

      runmomto3boys


        For me it is kind of all of the above.  I know that's hard to 'splain, but true.

         

        At the moment, it is the great escape.  The thing is, the stuff I'm mentally escaping from is also physically beating me down.  So the healthy aspects of running are the great equalizer (sort of; sometimes it is hard to tell).  Except that once you start running "a whole lot" it is not necessarily the healthiest thing ever, so really I do it because it is my hobby.  And helps me escape.  (re-enter endless loop here)

         

        Stevie: I want to see you get healthy again...soon.  I've been thinking of you.

         

        I started running b/c of all the miscarriages/infertility stuff, so I definitely understand what you are saying, ba13e4.  That was exactly why I took up running in March.  I have continued the running b/c I really just enjoy it for what it is.

        Mr MattM


          It's just running.  Like with anything; it can mean different things to different people.

          be curious; not judgmental


          Sub1:40orBust

            srlopez, your comments actually make perfect sense.

             

            4 kids makes for a loving, active, and at times overwhelming household. Throw in the wife, job, lawn, extended family, etc and I can literally go numb trying to process it all. I need something concrete to focus me so I don't just stare into space and slobber.

             

            Planning a race schedule, crafting a training plan, running the miles, etc is my concrete. Just having a number like 1:39:59 as a goal ends the drooling and motivates me to work toward it. Some how this translates to other areas in life and the lawn gets mowed, the work report gets done, and the bills get paid.

             

            Running races and the idea of a regular Joe having a PR may be silly in the larger context of life, but it works for me.

            Nakedbabytoes


            levitation specialist

              I definately use running as a sortof cheap therapy for life. I spend time mindlessly zoning out or mulling budget numbers in my head or the latest family crisis or something a daycare kid did that I want to try to avoid next time happening. A lot sometimes goes on in my runs and then again, sometimes nothing goes on. Either way, I feel better prepared for life when I come back home. And it gives me goals to focus on. Sometimes life seems like it is one paycheck after another of suburban monotony. Like a treadmill of life you are destined to repeat ad nausium. Running gives me achieveable, honestly earned goals to which I can gauge my progress and had work by.

              My hubby suffers from addiction. He has an addictive personality in general. He either is full bore into something or hates it. There is no middle ground. He has times that gaming only the only thing he wants to do. He will go without sleep, sex, showers, and food in which to do so and any intrusion into his world of gaming gets a very explosive reaction.

              When your focus becomes more important that RL, then you have a problem. Until then, it is just a hobby, for fun, for stress relief, for a break. There is a definate line in which it crosses. Unfortunately, I know all too well where that line is.


              Sub1:40orBust

                Nakedbabytoes,

                 

                "Sometimes life seems like it is one paycheck after another of suburban monotony."

                "Running gives me achievable, honestly earned goals to which I can gauge my progress and had work by."

                 

                I think you just nailed a big reason why I run. Running is an escape from the monotony and making progress toward a goal is vital to my personality ... without this I would probably get completely lost in my own unfocused thoughts and the whirlwind of activity in my home.


                Sub1:40orBust

                  runmomto3boys,

                  I am glad you found running to help you through those tough moments ... and I think you found the perfect activity for you. Based on your FB running posts, you are a super fast mommy Smile

                  LRB


                    For me it's not so much running as it is working out be that swimming, running, lifting weights or some type of cardio machine.

                     

                    Life's problems don't go away, but working out helps center me and either put things into perspective, or give me the chance to exhale so to speak, to go back to dealing with things recharged.

                     

                    I also come up with great ideas for projects or solutions to problems at home or work during my workout time. 

                     

                    While I have come to love running the most, having a diverse workout background has helped me deal the times I cannot run, such as now.


                    sugnim

                      All of the above.  I run because it's fun, it's the best meditation technique I've ever tried, it makes me feel good, it makes me happy, and yes, it is the best escape from just about anything (except for an achy ankle or something).  For me, running is the best drug & the best doctor.

                      happylily


                        I started running just because... no special reason. Just another way to exercise. But racing has become a cure to my lifelong low self-esteem. I fear what would happen if I were injured, or could not train for any reason outside of a planned vacation. So, in a way, I'm not sure it's entirely healthy mentally for me. It's good now, but I have become very dependent on it.

                        PRs: Boston Marathon, 3:27, April 15th 2013

                                Cornwall Half-Marathon, 1:35, April 27th 2013

                        18 marathons, 18 BQs since 2010

                          One of my quotes in my signature at RWOL was "I'm not sure how far I ran, or how long it took me to get there, but all the crap that was swimming around inside my head is now laying in the street behind me."  I definitely use running to escape and feel better.


                          SheCan

                            Escape.... clear my head, think through things, express anger, get rid of tension, it keeps me sane.  Whatever the need may be.

                            Cherie

                            "We do not become the people who this world needs simply by turning our backs on anyone we don’t like, trust, or deem healthy enough to be in our presence. "  ---- Shasta Nelson

                            Nevrgivup


                              I started running for depression after DH and I lost a baby full-term. I went through an entire pregnancy and delivery of the baby. It was the hardest thing in my life to go through and I was able to avoid medication by picking up running. I thank my father greatly for getting me out there. It is a huge part of my life. I've been running for over a decade now and still love it. 

                              Running is my mental-Ctrl-Alt-Del. 

                                It started out as a healthy lifestyle for me, now  it's all of the above.

                                123