“I hate running," “Ugh, I’d rather die than run," and “I can’t run because I have a bad knee." These are all things that I used to say when someone talked about running. I was a prisoner to my own excuses. In 2009, I tore cartilage off of my meniscus in my left knee while playing basketball. I had surgery to remove the damaged cartilage. I was in a straight leg brace from my upper thigh to my ankle for about four months. I did physical therapy and stretches but even to this day, I still walk with a slight limp favoring my right leg. My knee no longer gives me pain but I am still careful with it. This came with a lot of assumed ideas about what I could and could not do physically. Fear of re-injuring my knee caused me to shy away from any form of running.

Two years ago, I made myself a promise to get healthy mentally and physically. Physically, I was tired and overweight. Mentally, I struggle with anxiety. Eating healthily and exercising every day has brought me a long way since I made that promise to myself. While in the gym, I would look at the treadmills and wished that I could run too. Then one day completely randomly I decided that if I wanted to change then I had to make a change. I had to stop making excuses and doubting myself. I got on the treadmill and ran for about 5 minutes before I had to stop. I was breathing heavy and my legs were tired but my knee was in-tact and my heart was racing with exhilaration and slight disbelief at what had just accomplished. I learned an important lesson about running in that moment. Running is beneficial for mental health as well as physical health.

Running is beneficial for my mental health because it makes me realize that I am stronger then I think I am. I am not controlled by my anxiety or my insecurities. When I think that I can’t keep going I just remember every other time that I was successful even though I thought that I was going to fail. The truth is that the human body is capable of a lot of really difficult things and it’s often times the mind that holds a person back. I am more confident and less insecure. Anxiety still creeps in every now and then but it is a lot easier to work through. Running has taught me that I am a whole lot stronger than I thought I was mentally and physically.

I'm not planning on running a marathon or even a 5K anytime soon, but that is okay with me. I run when I’m stressed, anxious or anything else in between. Running clears my mind and helps me distinguish the significant from the insignificant. Do I still hate running? I do hate running sometimes but in my opinion, the benefits far outweigh the costs. I don’t let seven year old injuries dictate what I can and can’t do and I don’t throw excuses around anymore. I will continue to run for both my mental and physical health.