One thing about me is that I have never been good at sports. My vision is terrible, in turn making my depth perception horrible, taking any sort of throwing/catching activity off the table. Adding insult to injury, my reflexes are about as quick as a concrete wall. Oh, and I can’t follow or form any sort of sports play to save my life. I think it goes without saying that middle school gym class was traumatizing. I am just really, really bad at sports. However, jogging has been a different story.
I started jogging when I was 14 and my mom moved to Negaunee. I didn’t really like it there because I had no friends around, and there wasn’t much to do other than look around a thrift store or walk around aimlessly. So, I decided to run around with purpose. From there, my mom encouraged me to do a couple 5ks, and while I never placed that well, I deeply appreciated using my exhaustion as an excuse to sit around the rest of the day.
Then it pretty much just stuck with me from there. I used to bike single-track pretty regularly, and I even got into lifting for a bit, but I liked jogging most. One foot in front of the other was simple enough for me. Especially each fall, when listening to my sludge metal playlists and warming myself up with some steady movement paired weirdly well with the changing leaves. My marriage with jogging has been a long one.
It hasn’t been perfect either. I have flat feet and the joint problems of an old man, so I’ve burned through sole inserts and shoes like nobody’s business. And if I don’t do at least a little yoga a week, I’ll have shin splints for weeks. Then I get depressed (yes, that easily).
Basically, jogging isn’t just a form of exercise for me, it’s a part of my identity. Ask any jogger, they’ll probably say the same thing if you pry it out of them. Jogging makes me feel good, even when it doesn’t. It’s my main way of releasing stress, anger, and the anxiety that comes with the sense of crippling boredom that chases me whenever I stop working on things. I’ll never forget the day I got a parking ticket, a mediocre quiz grade and a shift that never seemed to end, all in one day, and how I ran until my legs felt like rubber afterwards.
Obviously, I’m not telling you to replace all forms of self-care or professional help with jogging. I’m not Lance Armstrong, but I will attest to regular exercise as a great form of release, and science will too. For some people climbing or boxing does the trick, for me it’s jogging; the sport of people built like Gumby.
In fact, as I’m writing this article, I’m nursing my legs back to health after suffering from shin splints for the last two weeks. I thought this stretch was triggered because I haven’t done yoga in over a month, but the other day I realized I haven’t bought new running shoes in over three years. So, if you’re going to be a jogger, always remember to form basic learning patterns.
