Delfina Jorgensen ’25
Staff Writer
Editor’s note: Delfina Jorgensen is a member of the cross country and track teams
For many of us, running may be the last thing we think of doing when we are stressed or anxious. But we should think of it when we want to escape some of our mind’s tensions.
The thought of taking your first step on a run can be dreadful and more tiring than the actual run itself. But once you get into that smooth, comforting rhythm of your feet hitting the pavement, those thoughts escape your mind and you can just focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
This cathartic experience is one that Bart Brophy ’25, a first year on the Cross Country and Track teams, is extremely familiar with. “I would say that it is the most therapeutic exercise and release that I can get from the stress and chaos that happens in life. It’s just one of those things where you can get out of your own head,” said Brophy.
Setting the time aside for yourself to go out and release tension caused by work, class, or even just a minor inconvenience is a healthy way to cope with stress. The activity does not always have to be running, but running every day naturally sets that time aside for you to check in on yourself. You can think more clearly when out on a run since there are no distractions.
This is part of the reason why James Akita, head cross country and track coach, loves to run every day. Akita mentions that in his spare time, he tends to be staring at his phone and ends up going down internet rabbit holes that never end. With running as an outlet, he can escape his phone and spend time away from it.
“It’s nice to get away from social media and even just texting and doing all that stuff. For me, it helps from a mental standpoint, too,” Akita said.
We discuss the “endorphin rush” that comes after running a hard race or a hard workout. Being a distance runner myself, I can agree that this feeling is one that nothing else can beat. When pushing yourself in an 800-meter race to get that personal best and then finishing it, you get a rush of happiness that is like no other. In fact, this is what many runners call the “runner’s high.”
“Your body is very amped up. Your blood flow and all your endorphins are pumping because you just used a lot of your body’s systems,” Akita said. Then when you finish the run, your systems adjust back to normal, and your body feels good. “It’s good to feel good. I don’t think there is anything wrong with feeling an inner goodness about yourself,” he said.
There will be days when you don’t want to run, but the feeling of accomplishment tops everything else and it does not take a collegiate runner to admit that. Isa Hinojosa ’25, first-year tennis player at Lake Forest College, mentions how running is not always a thing that she looks forward to. “While I’m doing it, I don’t feel very happy. But after I do it, I feel very accomplished,” she said.
You don’t always have to go out for a five-mile run, it can be a mile or even a half mile run. Either way you are still setting time aside to clear your mind and give yourself that sense of accomplishment. Even when you start your day with a run, you’ve already accomplished that one thing which will help you accomplish other tasks throughout the day.
However, running does have the potential of becoming an addictive exercise. Josie Stams, a staff nurse at the Lake Forest College Health and Wellness Center, mentions the fact that many addicts turn to running to cope with their addictive behaviors but in turn become addicted to running. “There has to be a balance between that addictive behavior and boosting your own self-esteem,” she says.
It is important to keep what Stams said in mind, but she also went on to reiterate Coach Akita’s point that feeling good about yourself is very important to your own mental health. She discusses the mental health of runners versus non-runners. “Some studies prove that people who run frequently have lower levels of depression and anxiety compared to non- runners,” she said.
The US National Library of Medicine has found consistent evidence of a positive association between mental health outcomes and habitual or long-term recreational running compared to non-runners.
Going out on a run does not have to be a solo sport, but rather can be done with a friend. “If I’m having a bad day at least I can fall back on my running and spend time with my teammates,” said Mathieu Norcross ’22, captain of the cross country and track team.
As an individual on the team, I can concur that runners do not always want to go for a run. But having that sense of community and support from one another during a workout helps push each person and makes the run worth it.
It is important that we don’t lose ourselves in running but use it as a tool to release our stress that has been built up. As Norcross said: “Once you finish the run, it always feels good.”
