3 Ways To Be More Thankful On The Run

You can practice self-love and being thankful on your next run with these three tips!

1. As you are running, especially in that first mile or so when you’re wondering why in the heck you decided to do this anyway, THANK YOUR BODY. Literally, thank your toes and ankles, your calves and knees, and yes, the piriformis—please thank your piriformis! The human body is such an incredible machine that can do so much, like carry itself quickly and efficiently over concrete, grass, dirt trails, and um, treadmills.

2. Think of a cool mantra (or use one that you already know) and repeat it to yourself several times while out on your run to remind yourself of being thankful. One of my favorite mantras came to me during a really tough ultramarathon, the Georgia Jewel 35 Miler. I crested one of many, many hills right after the mid-point of the course and was finally able to catch my groove. It had been a rainy run but the rain had stopped for a few minutes and the air had a damp but crisp feeling to it. I relaxed and said to myself, “I am living the dream.” That’s because I was and I still am.

3. Take some action running selfies, POST them, and BE PROUD. I know, there are people on your social media feeds that don’t appreciate the number of running related selfies or memes or quotes or whatever you keep posting, (because maybe they’re jelly) but who cares? Your social media is exactly that: yours. You feel great while running? Let everyone know. You feel crappy? Yep, let everybody and their moms know. It’s a good practice to really look at yourself, let others join you in that experience, and appreciate what’s there. Loving yourself—if you don’t already, it takes practice. Make it a daily habit.

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