Women's Media Nation | Social, political, and cultural issues relating to women

Escape in Exercise

posted by ChickSpeak
Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 4:12pm CDT

“Take it out on the pavement.”My mother has always shared these simple words of advice with me throughout my life, guiding me on running routes through my town where I mulled over my most complex thoughts and frustrations.

During adolescence, while pounding the pavement, I would scream the nasty words inside my head that I wished to say to my peers, but never had the guts to. After bombing the SATs, I took to the streets outside my home, the only road I could see myself on for the time being.

When an ex-boyfriend decided after four years that he simply was not in love with me anymore, I laced up my Adrenaline 9 Brooks and hit the roadway. Two miles turned into four miles, which turned into six, before I was able to end the workout, before I could forget about someone I had emotionally invested so much of myself in, before I quit beating myself up about a situation over which I had no control.

On a particularly good run, when my furious thoughts fueled the muscles in my legs and the pumping of my lungs, I decided that I would begin training for a half-marathon. I could think of no better way to invest my energy. Instead of posting angry Facebook statuses, bashing my ex to anyone with hearing capability, or vowing to never trust another guy, I dedicated myself to completing 13.1 miles.

Exercise is a rewarding way to get over a failed relationship. Exercise for 15 minutes or more in any form, whether it be running, walking, playing soccer or tennis, increases serotonin levels that improve mood and norepinephrine, a brain neurotransmitter that teaches the body to handle stress. (learn more about the chemical and mental effects of running at webmd.com). As opposed to remaining sedentary (sitting on your tush, watching The Notebook over and over while wearing his T-shirt) when feelings of hurt and loss are fearsome, staying active conquers the pain. Better yet, running is cheap therapy-rather than spending hundreds of dollars on a gym membership or talking to a professional (though both are options as well) a pair of sneakers will cost you anywhere from $60 to $120 and can last at least six months, or 500 miles (check out roadrunnersports.com for a pair that suits you).

Runner’s World magazine coins the chemical phenomenon as “motion therapy.” The knowledgeable mag suggests running with a friend-someone with whom you can dish out the deep-down details of your heartache. Tad Kostrubala, author of The Joy of Running, published in 1976, found that in situations where therapists and patients were active together, patients opened up more. Whether alone or jogging with a friend, physical activity has profound effects on the human psyche, allowing us to heal and reflect in a way that sitting does not.

On the day of the race, six months after the infamous breakup, I was silently anxious while I stretched out my quads in an endless crowd of fellow competitors. Mental and physical training culminated into a strenuous hour and fifty minutes. In the end, I ran for myself, not for my ex.

Boyfriends may come and go, but I’ll always have my sneakers.

Molly Hess attends Franklin & Marshall College. Since completing the half-marathon, she has been in a new relationship and has a renewed self-clarity. She is constantly in pursuit of that “running high.”