Running is a therapy

Have you seen the phrase "Running is cheaper than therapy"? Running is actually a therapy to most runners which non-runners never could understand.

In an article from Runner's World written by Betsy Noxon,
 "The therapeutic benefits of exercise increase with intensity," says Madhukar Trivedi, M.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the mood disorders program at the University of Texas Southwestern. Dr. Trivedi's research shows that a particular dose (30 to 35 minutes, three or four times a week) and intensity (moderate to high) of exercise is most effective for relieving feelings of sadness and irritability.

I started off my journey with running on a treadmill while watching television and listening to music. Almost zero running on the road. I did most of my first half marathon training on the treadmill and only a few long runs on the road.  Eventually I realised that watching TV and running is difficult to do when you are running at a faster pace. So I only listen to music when running on a treadmill. When I started my marathon training in March with lots of road running and having to look for suitable routes to do the runs especially the long runs.

Initially, during the early training on the road I have to depend on music to get through the runs. It is like the music has to keep the engine going. After a few months, my training start to change. I get to understand my body better and running on the road with nice routes and zero traffic, I started to get bored with the music and shuts off the music. That's when I slowly tuned my body to mother nature, the motion of my body and my breathing. After a few kilometers, all these elements seem to be in sync. That's when you feel the most relaxed and your mind wonders. You start to clear those thoughts and find answers or solutions to your problems. That's the therapeutic part of running. You seem to run more effortlessly.

In another article from BBC Sport on "Running as therapy",

If you asked 100 people, you might get 100 different replies, but there's no doubt that having some time and space to think - to clear your head and process your thoughts in peace - is one of the big attractions of the sport to many people. To some, on the other hand, it can be an opportunity - just for that short spell - to escape their thoughts altogether. As the celebrated Japanese author Huraki Murakami says in his book, 'What I Talk About When I Talk About Running': "I run in a void, or maybe I should put it the other way: I run in order to acquire a void." Running can also help people recovering from tragic events in their life, and committing to training for a marathon - with all the dedication that entails, and the structure it provides - is a popular way both to commemorate a loved one and to help deal with their loss.


For my runs on the road nowadays, I only listening to music occasionally. I enjoy the therapeutic effect of running. Only for the treadmill running, I will crank up the music. However, I realise I am doing less and less of treadmill running except to train for hill running and tempo runs. This marathon training has finally makes me realise what is the joy of running and understand what running is all about.


 "Running has always been a relief and a sanctuary—something that makes me feel good, both physically and mentally. For me it's not so much about the health benefits. Those are great, but I believe that the best thing about running is the joy it brings to life."  ~ Kara Goucher