Finding Balance Through Running

by Chris Cerrutti

It’s crazy to think about how much time indoors we spend every day. Maybe it’s because of work, or for leisure, but I’m here to urge you to go outside! People are out there and there are things to be seen.

Let me tell you about a fun activity that I’ve been doing outside; running. Download Strava and put on some Lululemon shorts right? Maybe if you want to be trendy, but that’s not how I find running to be. Running to me is one of my favorite hobbies that I have a love/hate relationship with. It lets me eat like shit while preventing weight gain, but I have to plan meals around it so I don't vomit. It makes me get runner’s high during it, but my knees hate me afterwards. It allows me to discover new shops and streets when running around the city, but it takes 1-2 hours out of my busy day. I’m sure you're getting the point. It’s awesome! But it definitely requires commitment and planning. Don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a solo sport either: there are running clubs and races to join.

I’ve been fortunate enough to join a running club with my fellow nurses and we even just completed our first half marathon together! We all trained together after work, or some of us would travel to each other's cities for a paired run. Our actions have even gotten some of our other coworkers who have never run a day in their life to give it a shot.

Strava? So yes I jokingly mentioned it but it actually is quite a well-designed concept. It lets you post your runs and see other people's runs around your area; essentially a runner's only social media app. Though I personally don’t use it, I have heard nothing but good things about it from my peers. Even one of my favorite DJs John Summit is a strong endorser of the app!

Put some shoes on and go out to your community. Don’t be one of those boring people who runs on the treadmill. Run out on the streets with a smile on your face and you'll find it to be contagious. You'll find you won’t be running alone for very long. One of my favorite quotes that I took with me going into my first half marathon was "You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

To whoever is reading this, I hope I run past you on the streets!