Running is one of the greatest ways to discover new roads, neighborhoods, trails, the best views, and any other part of the setting we call home. But, often times, we don’t have to stray from our beaten path to find a new perspective. Running makes us consider our surroundings in new ways. The same scenes we pass every day by car feel completely different on foot. So, how do running routes impact our running mindset?
Home sweet home
My runs have looked a little differently lately. I’m seeing new sights, feeling new emotions, and experiencing new thoughts. But it’s not from a change of scenery—I’m doing the exact same running routes. Rather, it’s a change of perspective that has me seeing my runs in a new way.
As a recent first-time homebuyer, I’m now taking note of the great variety of houses during my runs. All homes catch my eye—big and small and cookie cutter and oddly shaped. Chalk it up to out of sight, out of mind: Buying a home always seemed like a distant fantasy in my imagination that was years away. But next month, it becomes a reality when my wife and I move into our new home.
Naturally, I compare each abode I gaze at with my own. I wonder about the people that call each house their home. How do they interact with the neighbors they practically share a lawn and driveway with—would it have killed the developers to give each home in this neighborhood a little more breathing room? They may not share a kitchen table, but they could certainly watch each other eat when the blinds are up. And on the flip side, do the homeowners in that secluded dwelling with no homes within three miles ever wish they had neighbors?
I contemplate how each residence I see is constructed. What does the front entrance look like? How is the floorplan set up? Is it a contemporary, open concept house? Colonial style? Craftsman?
Look to the research
Because of its smaller size, you likely won’t find Richmond, Virginia at the top of many “best running city” lists. However, the capital city has just about everything a runner training for a race or going for a jog could hope for—lanes for runners, green spaces and parks aplenty, and the picturesque James River. And this is coming from someone who had the privilege of running along the National Mall with iconic monuments and memorials, as well as museums, embassies, bustling tree- and brownstone home-lined streets and pristine trails of Washington, DC for six years. Although, I sure don’t miss all those traffic lights which are inversely related to running satisfaction.
I consider myself lucky to have run among such beautiful sights. Research shows a positive association between running satisfaction and nature exposure, including eye-level greenness, top-down greenness and blue space density. Not surprisingly, running in parks or on mostly green routes is significantly associated with the perceived attractiveness of a running environment.
New home, where dis?
While I’ll deeply miss my trusted Richmond city running routes that I’ve come to rely on for marathon training over the past three years, it won’t do me any good to reminisce about the past. Sure, my running mindset could easily turn negative and I could worry about where I’ll run in my new hometown. Instead, in less than a month, I’m excited to experience new sights, sounds, terrain, elevation profiles, neighbors (and homes) and much more to keep my runs feeling fresh.
Plus, I won’t be far from Richmond—close enough to make a short drive into the city to embark on a 20-mile long run on the 52-mile-long Virginia Capital Trail. Or get in a tough VO2max or lactate threshold speed workout in the circular, track-shaped Byrd Park. Or simply enjoy the scenic river views from Boulevard Bridge.
It helps that I won’t have to travel into the city to experience natural beauty. A Virginia state park with 90+ miles of trails is a five-minute drive away. Which is great because research shows running in natural environments can “ignite feelings of revitalization, engagement, and decrease depression.”
The privilege of running
While studies find environmental characteristics—green and lively running routes and a comfortable running surface—”enhance runners’ evaluation of the attractiveness and restorative capacity of a running environment,” for me, the settings of my runs are never as important as my running mindset.
No matter where our runs take us, an open mind and a positive outlook will empower us to go far whether we’re near or far from home. Take pride in where you live and create running routes that make the most of your surroundings, wherever they are. Remember, we don’t have to run, we get to run. And it’s a privilege to run anywhere. With that mindset, how could we ever take any run for granted?
