8 Life Lessons Running Taught Me

I started running in my 20’s. Before that, I thought I was a terrible runner. That I wasn’t “built” for running. And I was so wrong.

Luckily, I’ve learned to love running and have gained some incredible insights about life from it.

Read on for my top 8 life lessons that running has taught me!

1.) The Power of Setting Goals

Setting a goal and then following the right training plan has been the key to my running success.

Why didn’t running stick earlier in life? Because I had no goal, no plan, and unrealistic expectations. Ever been there too?

I’d throw on old sneakers and crappy (cotton, eek!) sweats and set out for a full-speed 3 mile run ON MY FIRST DAY. I’d die 1/2 mile in and hate it. And give up.

As luck would have it, the very first 1/4 mile of that run was a massive hill. Such a terrible route choice for a newbie. Hindsight…right?

Then I learned how to pick a (realistic) goal, like running my first 5K, and trained for it appropriately with a 5K training plan for beginners.

And guess what happened? It worked! I finished a 5K!

Life is exactly like this.

Want something in life? Set a goal. Figure out what you need to achieve that goal. Put a plan together. And put in the work to get there.

Think about it – so many scenarios apply to this:

• Buying a car (choose the car, know the price, save for a down payment, then buy it)
• Career Advancement (do you want a promotion? figure out what needs to be done and put a plan together to hit that goal)
• Learning a New Skill or Hobby (want to crochet your first blanket? Learn the basics, practice, then find a pattern and follow it until it’s done)

Just pick something you want and plan to achieve it. If it’s a huge goal, break it down into mini-goals.

2.) The Power of Achieving Those Goals

This is where the magic happens.

You put in all that work to train for your first 5K, or buy that new car, or crochet that blanket…and then you finish! And the feeling of accomplishment washes over you in a euphoric moment of world domination. YOU DID IT!

Riding the wave of goal completion creates so much positive energy for you in your life.  It fuels your motivation. It drives you to want more.

There is nothing better than crossing the finish line of a race you just trained 12 weeks for (or signing the purchase agreement on that car, or getting the promotion you worked a year for…).

3.) Persistence Pays Off

Again, going back to my early attempts at running – I’d try one run, hate it, then quit.

Why did I fail?

Because I wasn’t persistent.

I didn’t keep trying.

Running requires some training (whether you’re a beginner or elite runner) and without persistence, you won’t get far.

This is where planning comes in!

Training schedules help you be persistent. Your runs and workouts are all planned for you, so just follow the plan, and don’t give up.

Some days will feel amazing. You’ll bask in the glow of a post-run “runner’s high”.

And inevitably, some days will feel awful. This is where persistence kicks in. Get back out there anyway (and you’ll be rewarded later).

Life is the same way – you can’t expect to crochet that blanket without learning the basics first (and there will definitely be days when it’s not easy, and you want to quit). But quitting never got anyone anywhere in life.

Speaking of bad days….

4.) Bad Days Will Come, but Bad Days Will Go

Expect bad days to happen. It’s life.

Maybe your first week of running felt great. You were energized. Happy. Excited.

Then week 2 comes along and kicks you in the ba…..well you know.

Your legs hurt. Breathing is hard. Maybe it’s raining outside. Running isn’t fun right now.

It’s ok. This is normal. It’s called having a bad day.

Don’t expect the road to your goals to be paved in gold all the time.

Deal with the bad day. Understand it won’t last forever. Push through it and don’t let it ruin your motivation.

Tomorrow will be better.

5.) Overcoming Obstacles Makes You Stronger

Ever had something get in your way? But you overcame the obstacle anyway?

With running, I did. (Nothing life-changing, but blisters really, really suck).

When I was training for my first long-distance run (10 miler), long runs were getting longer and longer and the weather was getting hotter. I’d never run more than 4 or 5 miles in my life and had no idea how to cope with constant toe blisters.

I almost gave up. It felt like nothing could fix it. I couldn’t run more than a mile without the blister re-opening and hurting.

New shoes didn’t work. Waiting a few days didn’t work.

And then my husband came to the rescue (again! he is very resourceful) and researched the problem for me… toe socks! So toe socks, and Aquaphor, fixed my blister problem. In fact, these are 3 of the 7 Clever Ways to Prevent Blisters.

Now, there are WAY more significant life obstacles to overcome than toe blisters. I know this.

But that’s the point – in life, no matter what it is, when you think it can’t be done…it probably can (and you can do it!).

6.) Alone Time Is Good For You

You know what’s worked best at keeping me happy and balanced (both mentally and physically)? Running. By myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very social. I love company. 

But people are so wrapped up in their phones and social media these days that they forget to breathe fresh air and be by themselves once in a while.

Running gave me that gift.

And in life, you need some alone time to center yourself. Even if it’s not running…being alone with your thoughts refreshes the mind and soul. It helps you work through problems.

It helps you remember to appreciate life.

7.) Showing Up is Half the Battle Sometimes

Sometimes your end goal seems intimidating.

Ask any marathoner ever, haha.

You think billionaires went from broke to rich in a week? No way. And when they were broke….being a billionaire probably seemed like a very intimidating goal.

But you know what? If you set a goal, put a plan together, and take it day by day…sometimes, showing up goes a long way.

What I mean is this – don’t think about the effort it will take to get to your end goal. That’s exhausting.

Instead, focus on your smaller, immediate mini goals. And showing up is one of those.

In the running world, I equate this to “I’ll just do 1 mile”. I’ve heard runners swear by this method to get over lack of motivation.

“Ugh, I have to run 5 miles today…but I’m so tired! I can’t.” Ever thought this before?

Just put on your running gear and say you’ll do 1 mile. Just show up. If you really feel that terrible, stop after 1 mile.  It’s cool.

But realistically, you’ll keep going and complete the 5 miles.

Same thing with life.

Exhausted thinking about the whole process of buying a house? Just do a little research tonight. Just show up.

Overwhelmed with planning a wedding? Find a wedding checklist and complete 1 item today. Just show up.

Intimidated by the thought of running a 5K? Pick a training plan, and just do Day 1 today. Just show up.

8.) Go Out of Your Comfort Zone & You Will be Rewarded

Never has anything been more rewarding than when I went out of my comfort zone.

Take an internship at Disney World at age 19 when I’d barely ever left New England? Heck yes!

Study abroad in Italy for a semester in college and live with an Italian-speaking host family? Absolutely!

Run a half marathon at age 31, a few months after running my first 10 miler (which was a few months after running 5 miles for the first time ever)? YES!

See a trend here?

None of these things were in my comfort zone.

But I did them!

And I am so proud and happy with those choices.

Maybe I already had a flair for trying new things, but running my first 10 miler and half marathon in the same year (after thinking I wasn’t a runner my whole life) was REWARDING AF!

Even failures have taught me lessons. Don’t be afraid to try new things and fail!

Do marching band in high school without knowing how to play an instrument well? Sure, let’s do it!

Start a cake business at age 24 (and realize it’s not scalable unless I quit my day job)? I’ll try it!

Train for a 10 Miler and ignore cross training days, resulting in a hurt knee? Tried it once, not ignoring cross training again (learn why Cross Training for Runners is SO important).

Anyway, that’s enough, you get the point – what have you tried? What was rewarding but out of your comfort zone?

Running has taught me those 8 lessons, and I am a better person for it.

What lessons has running taught you about life? Share in the comments!

Like this running post? See the 15 Best Running Hacks, Revealed and make running easier.

Or try Runners Food 101: The Ultimate Guide to Nutrition for Runners and get the rundown on runners food basics and what it means for you.