My eyes start to blur as the sun shines in them. The thud of my shoes hitting the road and my ragged breath are the only things I can hear. That, and the silent voice in my head.
This is a common experience for many runners who are trying to persevere through the pain to finish their race. In a 2020 study conducted by Strava, an exercise tracking platform, 50% of runners said they hate running or tolerate it while only 8% said they ran because they loved it. Strava titled this the “runner’s paradox.”
Why do those 50% of runners keep choosing to participate in a sport they dislike?
Running cross country and track for the past three years — as well as being a casual runner before high school — I’ve come to realize this “paradox” is what makes running so addicting.
I often get remarks from people asking questions like “Why would you willingly run? Are you insane?” and of course, “Who would do that for fun?”’ And oftentimes I think they may be onto something.
Everyday, runners push themselves beyond their limits, sometimes causing them to throw up or pass out, unable to finish their workout. This is where the mindset of runners and non-runners differ. When non-runners ask these types of questions, their immediate thought is the physical pain we endure.
They overlook the other half of our sport — the mental game: waking up at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings to run at the Baylands in the freezing cold; persevering through 60-minute runs after an exhausting day of school to hit my weekly mileage; using that voice in my head to push through fatigue and finish, regardless of how slow I cross the finish line.
I love running because it builds inner-strength and pushes me to exceed what I once thought was possible.
The reason runners have a love-hate relationship with the sport is because the pain of our sport is what pushes us to be the best we can be. While runners may hate the sport in the moment, we love the result. Running forces us to build consistency, resilience, dedication and mental perseverance — equally as important as the physical aerobic and anaerobic training we do.
This mental training develops our work ethic, applicable to all parts of our life.
So, why should you care about any of this? I hope in some way or another, you are able to push yourself beyond your limits by adopting your own “runner’s paradox.” Challenge yourself, build mental perseverance, grit and discipline. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll end up loving the same thing you once hated.