Thankful Miles: Finding Gratitude in Running

By Na’Tasha Jones, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer, RUNGRL

As someone who is always on the go, my runs and workouts are a rare opportunity for “me” time. However, when you have a million things on your plate (and on your mind), it can be hard to turn that mental to-do list off during the run. When all that’s in your head starts to take over, it doesn’t make for the most relaxing running experience.

Recently, I came across the Shape article, “Why You Should Go on a Gratitude Run”, where author Kara Cutruzzula suggests getting out of a running funk by planning a run where you reflect solely on the things for which you are grateful. This means no headphones, no other distractions, just gratitude.

Since, around this time of year, we often gravitate towards the idea of thankfulness, I thought reflecting on the things for which I am thankful could be a great way to refocus my energy and reset negative thoughts.

As I began to work on my “thankful list”, I realized that if I were to try to run one a mile for each thing that deserves my gratitude, it would surely be an ultra marathon. Practicing intention is something that doesn’t come naturally to me, so I thought this would be a great way to meditate on very specific things during my run while boosting my mood.

“If I were to try to run one a mile for each thing that deserves my gratitude, it would surely be an ultra marathon.”

— Na'Tasha Jones, RUNGRL Co-founder

The most interesting part of reflecting on your own gratitude is that it gets the ball rolling. Once I began to think of the many things I’m thankful for, more and more things started to come to mind. It was truly unexpected, but such a great feeling. So, good, in fact, that I didn’t want to stop running.

Here’s a peek at what I contemplated while running my own Thankful Miles:

I’m grateful for my accountability partners.

My friends and family have always been extremely supportive of my running. When I share that I’ve set a goal, such as racing, I often get tons of cheers online, but what really gets me though, are my running accountability partners, who will get out and train with me and be right there to make sure I’m sticking to my running commitment.

I’m grateful for injury recovery.

In June of this year, I aggravated the recurring tendonitis in my ankle to the point that my doctor ordered I take at least four months off from running and any other vigorous, high-impact exercise. This meant my only cardio during that time was the elliptical or light walking.

Initially, I viewed it as the forced break I needed from “doing the most”. Soon, though, my injury became a source of frustration. Eventually, without the habit of regular running, it became an excuse to not work out at all. This definitely affected not only how I looked and felt, but my entire attitude toward working out. Six months later, however, I’m happy to finally be easing back into running. I know, however, that it will take time to get back to where I was before, but I’m grateful to be able to try again.

I’m grateful for running accessibility.

Although you don’t need much to run (just a good pair of shoes and some motivation), I am grateful to live in an area that has so many places to run safely. Not only is my neighborhood a good place for running, but there are also several safe, well-lit areas where I can go and find other runners and people out and about. There are beautiful scenic areas along the Potomac, historic monuments, challenging urban city streets, and well-traveled trail areas. All in a city with a huge running scene, so it’s easy to find a buddy (or 20!) to go running with you. I know that not everyone lives where running is so easy or safe, and that makes me feel blessed.

I’m grateful for my running community.

Being part of a run club changed how I felt about running. Before, running was a solo sport that I forced myself to do to keep the pounds off. However, after being introduced to running with a community, I found a whole different angle to running. I began to look forward to weekly runs (something I never thought I’d do) and pushed myself to do more with my running family. I’m so grateful to them for teaching me to truly love running with a group.

RUNGRL Challenges You to Make a Gratitude Running List

Now that you know how it’s done, go ahead and start your own gratitude list. Think of the things you’d like to focus on, and use them as your guide for these dedicated runs. If your gratitude list has 20 items on it, and you’re planning a four-mile run, choose the next four on your list, and focus on them during your run.

Of course, the things you focus on don’t have to be running related. Family, health, progress in your career or education--all of these things are worth celebrating and focusing on. You can write them down in a journal or notebook, or use the notes app on your phone. Use each item as a mile, and then use the remainder of the year to run off each grateful item.

Anytime you think of something new to be grateful for, add it to the list. You might discover a new way to refocus your thoughts of gratitude and keep the list going all year long.

Let us know what you’re adding to your list in the comments below!