Like most worthwhile activities in life, they aren’t always fun when you are first learning how to do them. Take alpine skiing. I decided to start at age 40. At the time my two children were very young and taking skiing lessons. My wife is a life-long skier. Seemed like a good idea. Did I take lessons? Nope. I put skis on, pointed myself downhill and let gravity do the rest. Painful? You bet! Skiing in the northeast can be painful if you fall, mostly due to inexperience and icy conditions. And then there’s the sheer terror that screaming down a mountain slope on two sticks creates. I should have taken lessons. Over time skiing became easier, enjoyable and a lot less painful. It was quality time spent with my family. Skiing created happiness in my life.
So, what does skiing have to do with running? Both activities can be painful at first, but over time they can bring happiness to your life. Maybe advocating that running can bring happiness to your life may seem like a bit of a reach…or is it?
Consider this. In 2022 the Mayo Clinic published 7 tips to live a happier life. They are:
1. Eat nourishing food.
2. Sleep 7 to 8 hours per night.
3. Keep company with good people.
4. Avoid news overdose.
5. Get regular exercise.
6. Do something meaningful each day.
7. Think good thoughts for others.
While I can think of a few more tips to live a happier life, this is a good list! I especially like “Think good thoughts for others”. This is about being compassionate to other people. We could use more of this.
I also like, “Do something meaningful each day”. With the exception of #2 and #4, you can pick off the rest of the list with this one objective. For example, cook a spectacular meal for good people that you know. Now that’s meaningful!
So how does doing something meaningful each day satisfy getting regular exercise?
According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Regular aerobic exercise will bring remarkable changes to your body, your metabolism, your heart, and your spirits. It has a unique capacity to exhilarate and relax, to provide stimulation and calm, to counter depression and dissipate stress.”
Exercise can be meaningful. It helps to keep you healthy. It is a major stress reliever. It is a way to socialize with others. It can be time alone, away from the demands put on you. Exercise can be mindful. One of the best forms of exercise is simply walking. According to an article in Harvard Health daily walking can reduce the risk of developing breast cancer and boost our immune function. In my way of looking at life, that is meaningful. Walking is a great way to exercise! So why start running? After all, running makes your breathing labor and your legs and feet hurt. Not to mention that sweating through your clothes makes most people want to stay away from you. Where’s the fun in that?
So I ask again, why run? Let’s start with a little anthropology.
Humans are the best long-distance runners on the planet. Humans were born to run. Running down big-game to exhaustion was one way that our ancestors hunted for food and survived. Today, for those of us fortunate enough to have easy access to food, running is no longer a prerequisite for survival. Nevertheless, running is a journey, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We were meant to run. Running has been a source of strength for me through the highest and lowest moments of my life. I have run 5Ks, 10Ks, half marathons, 20Ks, marathons, ultra marathons, trail races, desert races, mountain races and even a 50-mile treadmill ultra marathon in my basement. When I’m not training or racing, I run for the sheer joy of it!
Running is a lifestyle. It complements staying healthy both physically and mentally.
During my decades of running, people have asked me all kinds of questions about it. Many seek advice to improve their own running. Some want to learn more about my running activity, while others are exploring the possibility of starting their own running routine.
Some years ago, a co-worker suggested to me that I should start a running coaching business. My initial thought was starting a business around something I love so much would ruin it, because then it becomes a job. That was until I remembered how much I love teaching. Teaching was my first plan after graduating from college, but life took me in other directions. Over a long business career, I had many opportunities to teach, and I usually found that it was one of my favorite parts of the job. So, I thought, take two activities I love, running and teaching, and blend them together, like peanut butter and chocolate. Voila! Elevate Running was born, a coaching, training and mentoring running consulting business.
Helping others to start a sustainable running program that is in balance with the other important priorities in life seemed like a good idea. The phrase “couch potato to 5k” is a bit of a cliché these days. I don’t think it paints a very flattering picture of someone who wants to be healthier. I mean, who wants to think of themselves as a potato? Work and family demands can take up most of our available time. Then there are the other commitments and obligations that compete for our available time. And let’s not forget downtime, eating and sleeping!
So why run? There are many reasons! Staying fit. Getting outside. Competing in races. Socializing. Exploring. Being in the woods. Spending quality time alone. There are also many practical reasons for running. Running in team sports. Running from danger. Running to catch a plane. Running after toddlers and pets. All are good reasons for running.
What I learned after 42 years is that running improves your quality of life. Running is a lifestyle. It complements staying healthy both physically and mentally. If all you ever do is run a few times a week, and it makes you feel better about yourself and your life, what better reason is there?
Now you may be thinking to yourself, “I don’t have time to run”. Prioritizing how you allocate your time should be driven by what’s most important in your life. In my experience there is nothing more important than your health. Without your health it is difficult to apply yourself fully to the other priorities in your life. CNN correspondent and author Tom Foreman wrote in his book, My Year of Running Dangerously,
“I knew that my first challenge would not be getting fit for running, but rather getting running to fit into my life.”
Running can help to keep you healthy. It can give you time alone, your time. Running can be a way to socialize with others. Running can challenge you and create defining moments in your life. It can bring clarity to complex situations. It can be a lifestyle. Running is what you make it. Why not give it priority in your busy schedule?
My mission through Elevate Running is to help others improve their lives and reach their goals through running.
If I have swayed you to start a running program to help you to have a better life, or at least make you healthier, your next question should be, how do I start?
The first and most important step in starting a running program is consistency. Consistency establishes a routine. It instills discipline. It starts a mindset that running is now a regular part of your week. It doesn’t matter how far you run, or walk, or how fast (although I recommend shorter and slower). The only thing that matters is that you do it. Pick 3 days each week that you are going to run and/or walk. Try to do this at the same time if your schedule allows. This is your time to do something for yourself that will make you healthier, happier, and more productive. Over time running will become a regular part of your week, something you look forward to, and something your body will get used to doing. Yes, it will hurt at first and likely for a while. This is the start of building fitness. Keep a running log and make entries about the specifics of each run. Entries should include date, time running, run distance, pace, course details, temperature, weather conditions and anything notable that you may want to add.
For some, running on local streets, sidewalks or parks is a great venue. For others, not so much. If running against traffic or dodging people on sidewalks creates stress, then there is an alternative. Trail running!
In her book, The Nature Fix, author Florence Williams writes,
“Scientists are quantifying nature’s effects not only on mood and well-being, but also on our ability to think-to remember things, to plan, to create, to daydream and focus-as well as on our social skills.”
What better way to engage with nature than running on a trail in the woods, mountains, or in the desert. Running on trails is a different experience than running on the road. It requires more technique to adjust to the ever-changing conditions of the trail you are running on. I remember my first trail running experience. I went after it like I was running on a road, trying to establish a consistent stride and pace. That didn’t last long! The trail was single track, hilly, rooty and rocky, and continually changing direction. I went into oxygen debt quickly, gasping for air. It took a few times running on trails, but I finally figured out that I needed to slow down, continually adjust my pace and stride to the changing terrain and pay attention to where I was stepping. The more I ran trails the more I liked it! I covered more ground faster running in the woods than I ever could hiking. It is peaceful yet feels like an adventure.
Without your health it is difficult to apply yourself fully to the other priorities in your life.
So now you are a regular runner running for health, happiness, and a myriad of other reasons that make your quality of life better. If you’re like most runners you establish your routine and stick to it. Then there are those runners looking for more. Perhaps they meet a marathoner for the first time or support a friend or relative who’s running a local marathon. The wondering starts. "What’s running a marathon like? Could I possibly finish one?"
I’m sure most of you reading this article have heard the expression, “It’s like running a marathon”. The best part is that most of the people who use this expression have never run a marathon, so how would they know? Want to find out what’s it’s like to run a marathon? Run one!
LiveStrong reports that 1.1 million people complete a marathon each year, which is 0.01% of the global population. So, while most people choose not to run a marathon, for those who do it can be a life-changing experience in a very good way. Completing a marathon gives you the confidence of knowing that when you set your mind to doing something, even something that seems impossible at the outset, with proper planning, coaching, training and preparation you can do it.
Once you have run longer distances there is a quiet voice in your head that wonders how far you can run. It starts with a marathon and could eventually lead to 100 miles or more.
I remember when I decided to run my first 50-mile ultra-marathon I had trouble sleeping for the next few nights. At 3:00 AM I would be lying in bed with that little voice in my head screaming, "Are you crazy? That’s almost two marathons…at once!" Once I got my training plan together and started it, I could see a path to accomplishing what seemed impossible. My sleeping got better.
With the proper planning, preparation, training, coaching and execution, the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Even qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Not every goal is achieved on the first try. Sometimes you fail. But failing need not be a failure if we learn from it. Failing is how we grow, how we get better. Failing is how we ultimately succeed.
If this blog post has got you thinking, How can I get started?, please feel free to reach out to me via the Elevate Running webpage contact button to get some ideas. No obligations on your part. I would love to help you get started!
If you prefer, you can contact me directly at,
“That’s the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.”
- Kara Goucher
USA Olympian Runner
"Patrick Sandefur" is a proud father, lucky husband, devoted runner, and the founder of Elevate Running, a division of Bass Harbor Group. My 40+ years of running changed my life in so many ways and at so many levels. It unchained me. It helped me to see the possibilities that a life well lived has to offer.
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