4 Things That Running Taught Me About Being Mindful

Even if you commit to a routine — or in my case, a challenge — it is so easy to find excuses and break the promise you made to yourself. I also realized that by procrastinating on getting into my workout gear, I wasn't just avoiding the run, but I was teasing myself with what else I could be doing during that time. In an effort to make those first difficult runs more alluring, I started listening to a podcast each day. I found that by giving myself something to look forward to — the next episode of NPR's This American Life — I was eager to lace up my shoes and hit the road! Running was no longer something I was wasting time on. It was a special 30 to 60 minutes that was refreshing and entertaining. It felt like a reward. Sneaky.

The biggest appeal of running for me has always been that you can do it outdoors. Living in a city and working in an office every day can make me feel a bit cooped up and confined. To combat this sensation, I make it a habit to get outside for a casual hike or a walk at least once a week. Thanks to this challenge, I encouraged myself not only to increase the frequency of my visits to the world beyond the walls of POPSUGAR, but to go for my run in a different location each day. So, instead of making the same three-mile loop in a park near my house, I ventured out. I explored a park near my office downtown for a midday jog, I put my new sneakers to good use along the water one morning, and I charged my way to the top of a secluded hiking trail one early evening. Changing up where I went for the runs made me feel like I was up for anything, anywhere, anytime, and also gave me a newfound appreciation for all the beautiful outdoor spaces San Francisco has to offer.

During this week-long challenge, I attended a friend's wedding in Bozeman, MT. With wedding season in full swing, it can be hard to find time for yourself, especially if you are at a destination celebration. Having never been to Bozeman before, I knew I wanted to see as much of the town as I could in between wedding events, so I packed my running shoes to take the challenge on the road. The first day in town, my boyfriend suggested that we run together. Truthfully, running with a partner is something I have always feared. I don't generally enjoy being on someone else's timetable, so the pressure to keep up with his pace would have typically given me anxiety.

Instead, I leaned into the experience and agreed. Having a companion along for the run ended up being such a treat that we partnered up for the rest of my weekend runs. We jogged around the residential neighborhood we were staying in and into the downtown area where we paused for iced tea and casual window shopping. On our last day, we stumbled upon a beautiful park that provided unparalleled views of the city and surrounding mountains. I will bring running shoes with me on every vacation from now on. They are easy to take anywhere, and if you give yourself permission, you can find yourself somewhere you'd never expect.

I used the time I needed to stretch after each run to drop in on where I was feeling both physically and emotionally at that moment. More often than not, I had started the run with a racing mind. It was fascinating to listen to the progression of my own voice in my head. It went from telling me things like I didn't have time to be on a run and nudging me about important emails that were awaiting my response back home to slowly smoothing out and slowing down, commenting on a new house on the block or small details about the physical beauty that surrounded me.

I also used this opportunity as a time to pay gratitude to my body and thank it for granting me the ability to walk out the door and go wherever my two feet could take me.

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