In my world, running is a process of self-exploration through varying degrees of discomfort. Just as a client sits down for a session of therapy, the act of tying up laces is a commitment to venture into new depths of experience that requires a great deal of courage and curiosity. In Western culture, the practice of taking therapy beyond the office is just starting to get trendy. But life is filled with opportunities to grow!!! Jogging can be far more than a routine practice of increasing physical fitness, or even improving mood with an endorphin kick.

I am no longer a fan of the saying “no pain, no gain”. In my opinion, pain (both physical and emotional) is the body’s way of cautioning us to slow-down, listen harder to our internal processes, and respond more appropriately. When I push beyond pain in a run, the outcome is always injury and stagnation. Instead, I prefer to focus on growth in relation to comfort. A willingness to listen to my discomfort (before reaching a point of pain) provides an opportunity to adjust my speed or alignment, and ultimately grow. Whether we are starting therapy or working up to a marathon, moving forward is hopeless if we don’t have a sense of where we are in each moment.

Mileage, like the social-emotional obstacles of life, can be daunting. It’s important to enter each run with a spirit of compassion and compromise with regards to:

the number of miles we intend to travel that day
the speed we want to attain
the routes we plan to follow

Adapting to unforeseen changes in life is a valuable skill that can be practiced in running. Maintaining a connection to our internal environment is the first step. Depending on stress, sleep, nutrition, and immune functioning, we have a new potential for growth each day. The key is to not push beyond your current potential and create injury or worsen existing wounds. Therapists who push their clients too hard to make dramatic changes are typically asserting their own agenda and anxieties, while overlooking the client in the present moment.

Reconnecting with ourselves looks exactly the same in both running and therapy. When a client begins to speak about something that is emotionally intense, I ask them to check-in with their body. This is done by breathing through the diaphragm and simply noticing/naming sensations in their body. We work together slowly, rather than charging into this new territory at full speed. Exhaling with a relaxed jaw and sound allows emotional and anxious energy to be released from the body. In elementary science, we learn that physical matter never just sits still. Solid matter, like our bodies, consists of closely-knit vibrating molecules. Turning inwards can be described as adjusting our own “tuning fork” to our natural vibrations, giving us important information on our body’s current potential for growth that day.

Both running and therapy are opportunities to explore the meaning of growth… and we often learn that it is not always the linear process we imagine. I can run one day with a great amount of energy and speed, and the next run (a few days later, after recovering) is laboured and heavy. Sometimes we revisit old topics in therapy, as they become relevant in a new way. In life, there’s numerous ways to get from Point A to Point B, and some involve backtracking. Sometimes, we even realize that we no longer want to get to Point B, at all! Running is one way to learn what it feels like to surrender to your body’s knowledge, allowing it to navigate your journey. When clients get to this point in therapy, they’re usually getting ready to re-engage with their lives in a way that aligns with their core values.