Running as Therapy

© 2010 Ugur Akinci

There was something unusual about James. He was a well-read elderly gentleman of highest integrity. A U.S. government retiree. A friendly man who never went over the top; who never became too-friendly. Always kind but reserved. He had this tremendous amount of discipline over himself, over the way he spoke or reacted...

In short time I took a shine to James. He was someone I loved talking to. A world-traveled man who knew a lot about a lot of topics. A pleasure to listen to and share the same dining table with.

Then I learned James was running marathons; in his seventies (no wonder he looked that fit)! That he actually ran a DOZEN of them in past. My fascination with James only got deeper.

Since we've established a good level of rapport, one day he blurted out the reason why he started to run marathons many years ago: he lost his young son to a tragic accident many years ago. The pain and shock of that loss was so unbearable James didn't know what to do with himself. Running was the only thing he could do that did not feel as painful. Pretty soon he was running longer distances, more frequently, until he graduated up to full marathons, and he never stopped since.

I've also witnessed the therapeutic power of running many times in my life. When you run, endorphins get released in your body, which are (bluntly put) "pleasure hormones." You'll definitely feel better after a typical daily run, better both physically and psychologically. It's the best therapy I know to beat the blues.