Attaining Mental Peace Through Running

Ann, Bangalore, has covered the journey of running slowly and steadily and is all set to run her next half-marathon this year after the pandemic gap. She was born and raised in Bahrain. She shares that she has been chubby throughout her childhood till she turned eighteen, and was picked up a lot regarding her body weight and faced criticism from people in her circle. This took a toll on her mental health. In 2005, there weren’t many opportunities to get out or join a gym to get fit in a small country like Bahrain. 

She moved to Bangalore in 2008 from where she completed her graduation and post-graduation. It was in 2014 when she joined a company where she met people who were into running and who pushed her to get out and start running - even if it is covering short distances. Gradually, she started to enjoy running as it gave her the breathing space which she didn’t realise she needed. So whenever she was feeling low and wanted some mental peace, she would grab her shoes and go for a run; it was like a coping mechanism for her. 

She started with participating in events, first 1K, then moved on to 3K, and so on. After joining HealthifyMe, a health and fitness platform, she was now involved in the whole fitness zone and that’s when she started participating in long-distance runs. Her friends encouraged her to push her limits, and since she was working in the health industry, she understood the nuances of running and better her performance. 

“I try to be better with each run.” 

It was the adrenaline rush that got Ann into the habit of running, alongside with the goal of getting healthier and fitter. She started focusing on strength and core training and enrolled in the gym to face bigger challenges. She remembers running her first half marathon, which though wasn’t great but was an overwhelming experience. It was difficult and it made her question her decision to run a half marathon. But she was determined to complete the run and reach that finishing line, and not pay attention to the timing. In 2019, she ran her third half-marathon, which she completed within two hours, and she attained the fourth position in her age category. 

“One good thing about running marathons is that even if you don’t know who is running next to you, they will cheer you up and encourage you to keep going. It’s an amazing community to be a part of.”

Running has many mental health benefits - from tackling anxiety and stress to helping focus better. Ann felt that she was in a better space, physically and mentally, and was in a calmer state of mind. Running has helped her deal with anxiety and help with overall productivity.  She has been told by various people that her posts on running and working out actually helped and motivated them to take on the sport. 

Over the past eight years, since Ann started running, she has noticed that there are a lot of running groups and clubs these days which are trying to bring running to more people and make it more accessible. Running on roads/trails is quite difficult to find a place with lesser traffic and crowd.  

Running is the easiest sport anyone can start with. She hopes that more people join the running community and just unwind as it provides that personal space and ‘me’ time, along with many physical and mental benefits.