What Running Taught Me About Life

For runners and non-runners alike.

I’ve spent more of my life hating running than I have loving it. For a while, it seemed like nothing more than burning lungs, stinging calves, and a high potential for injuries. But since becoming a convert, it’s changed me more than almost anything else.

It’s not that running got easier the more I did it — although that is technically true — it’s that I came to see it differently.

Not only are there parallels between running and life, but what’s made running enjoyable can be applied to pretty much anything.

Here are the seven greatest lessons running has taught me.

1. Just begin.
A number of friends have asked how to get started running. It’s simple: just begin. Common running advice tells us there are practical steps we can take: get fitted for proper footwear, remember to stay hydrated, create a motivating playlist. All of that is great. But really, the most important part of creating a running practice — or any practice — is to take the first step.

Whether this is your first time o…