Running is Good for the Soul and the Soles
Read time ~5 minutes
By: Tyler Woodard
Running really has never been more important to me than in these last few months. Living in this new pandemic normal society running has helped me and I imagine a few others keep their sanity. Despite all the race cancelations, all the sporting events getting canceled, and all of our favorite post running pubs closing to keep us safe, we could still get out there and run. Even though it was solo most days, we could still do it. It gave us something we could cling onto during all of this.
I don’t know about you, but I love to run. It has been a part of my life for a long time. As long as I can remember I have enjoyed this sport that many of us love and (sometimes hate). Going all the way back to grade school, through middle, into high school and even some college. In fact, running has brought me here, to this blog. Running is the inspiration for SoleRoots on Tap. There is just something about pounding the pavement that keeps us going. Whether you do it alone, with friends, or both it is just good to get out there.
I was given a book called Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, you know the whole, “given from a friend, where said friend borrowed it from a friend.” This is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. A very brief summary of this book is that we as humans were born to run. It is in our nature, our DNA, in the fabric of all of us. In his book, McDougall says, “Know why people run marathons? …Because running is rooted in our collective imagination, and our imagination is rooted in running. Language, art, science; space shuttles, Starry Night, intravascular surgery; they all had their roots in our ability to run. Running was the superpower that made us human — which means its a superpower all humans posses.” A superpower. Wow! Webster defines superpower as a: power or ability (such as the ability to become invisible or to fly) of the kind possessed by superheroes. All of us who run are superhuman!
We all run for different reasons. Some of us run because we love to race and compete. Some of us run to support a cause. Some of us run to be apart of a local running club. Some of us run as a means to lose and maintain weight. Some of us run because we love the company we run with, or maybe a mixture of all those things. Whatever the reason we run. It is something we all enjoy. If you are not running or even walking I suggest you get out there and do it, take that first step and I can almost guarantee that you’ll love the benefits of it!
The thing that makes running unique is that it really doesn’t matter how fast are slow you are. That’s why a personal best is just that, personal. It’s yours and no one can take that from you. So get out there for the first or thousandth time and get a new personal record (PR)!