Why Run?

This article will explore the reasons why people like to run and gives a few reasons why you too can enjoy running. If by the end of reading these words you are still not convinced that we are built to run, why not try it out practically and sample it for yourself?

We will approach this question from an anatomical and psychological standpoint and we are purely going to look at the justifications that researchers and runners have documented that puts running is a positive light. It is important to note that there are almost always two sides to a story and you can make up your own mind up as to ‘why run?’.

Let’s start with anatomical reasons why we are able to run and run well!

There are a few of the characteristics that are unique to humans and that play a role in helping people run, according to one study. It provides some food for thought:

  1. A more balanced head with a flatter face, smaller teeth and short snout, compared with australopithecines. This shape shifts the center of mass back so it is easier to balance your head when you are bobbing up and down running. A ligament that runs from the back of the skull and neck down to the thoracic vertebrae acts as a shock absorber and helps the arms and shoulders counterbalance the head during running.
  2. The tall human body—with a narrow trunk, waist and pelvis—creates more skin surface for our size, permitting greater cooling during running. It also lets the upper and lower body move independently, "which allows you to use your upper body to counteract the twisting forces from your swinging legs" according to the study.
  3. Human vertebrae and disks are larger in diameter relative to body mass than are those in apes or australopithecines. "This is related to shock absorption and it allows the back to deal with bigger loads when human runners hit the ground".
  4. Human buttocks are huge! If you compare this to an ape they have very small glute muscles relative to the body. The glute muscles are critical for stabilization in running because they connect the femur (thigh bone) to the trunk. Because people lean forward at the hip during running, your glute muscles play a massive role in stopping you from falling on your face each time a foot hits the ground".
  5. Larger surface areas in the hip, knee and ankle joints, for improved shock absorption during running by spreading out the forces. We also have evolved with an enlarged heel bone for better shock absorption, as well as shorter toes and a big toe that is fully drawn in toward the other toes for better pushing off during running.

Now that we have explored just a few of the reasons why we humans are built to run through evolutionary advances, let’s look at a few psychological reasons why people enjoy running.

Along the mental path, running can help train the mind as much as it trains the body. By making yourself overcome the obstacles that running brings, you learn focus and determination. The will and strength that gets your body through long runs or those runs you'd much rather skip is what in turn strengthens your mind and gives you focus and determination which in turn can lead into other areas of your life. Running is one of the exercises that bring immense mental paybacks. It is easier to start running than doing other forms of exercises, mainly because it needs the least mental preparation. You just put on your running shoes and…go!

Running helps you body maintain a healthy blood circulation and ensures a good hormonal balance of body, which coupled with other physical benefits are enormously favourable for an increased focus. With this, memory can be improved due to running and it as does so by sharpening the mind. Your mental stamina is also effectively advanced by running on a regular basis. Outside and trail runs create a release of endorphins that can cause euphoria (runner's high) or just a general sense of happiness. The scenery and distraction from normal everyday life lets the mind unwind. Similarly when life’s annoyances or frustrating situations build up, you can feel stressed or experience low-grade anger. Running can decrease ‘stress hormones' like cortisol and call upon your body's ‘feel-good’ chemicals to replace them.

It has been used for years to treat clinical depression and addictions of all kinds. Less tension, less depression, less fatigue, and less confusion are just a few of the changes that patient's have seen after beginning a regular running program. Running gives something for them to focus on, allowing them to see something besides their depressed state or addiction.

So, whether you are thinking against taking up running for mental salvage or not sure whether you are physically built to run…think again…just run…and make up your own mind.

"I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." Jesse Owens