There are, of course, noticeable benefits of running: it shapes how we look physically being the most obvious. Some of the most profound benefits of running are less obvious, hidden from the mind’s eye.
This series of posts look at these secret benefits of running: How does running make us better able to manage our emotions? How does it help us to navigate the highs and lows of life? How does it help us with our relationships and show up as the best version of ourselves?
Social Health
As a society we talk often about our physical health and our mental health. We recognise just how important they are in being happy and healthy.
A new book by Harvard social scientist Kasley Killam, however, argues there is a missing piece to human flourishing. ‘The Art and Science of Connection’ is about how vital social health is in our lives.
She defines social health as following:
Social health is the aspect of overall health and wellbeing that comes from connection – and it is vastly underappreciated. Whereas physical health is about your body and mental health is about your mind, social health is about your relationships. Being socially healthy requires cultivating bonds with family, friends and the people around you, belonging to communities, and feeling supported, valued, and loved, in the amounts and ways that feel nourishing to you.
Social health, for me, was the driving force behind setting up Run With Company. Until reading Killam’s book, I didn’t have the words to articulate it so clearly, but I knew I wanted to build running communities and groups to support people with both their running and wellbeing.
I feel strongly that as a society loneliness is on the rise, and that we are not experiencing as much human connection as we should be. Lots of things have influenced that view: personal experience; years of volunteering with a mental health charity; working in schools as a classroom teacher and leader.
Perhaps the most obvious reason is seeing first hand just how much a shared interest can help to bring people together.
Dalmeny Half-Marathon
I ran the Blast Dalmeny Trail Half-marathon yesterday. I loved every second of the race: it was one where I could forget completely about the time and just enjoy the process of beautiful Autumnal landscapes and clambering up muddy hill-sides. Finishing third overall was a nice wee bonus at the end!
What made the race interesting for me was that I didn’t really know anyone there. I had planned to race with a couple of friends, but they pulled out due to injuries. I’m an introvert by temperament, so can slip into the role of observer very easily, and I found myself doing this before and after the race.
What struck me was the powerful sense of community and relationships that were on show at the race. Everyone there shared a common enjoyment of and interest in running. I kept hearing fascinating snippets of people talking in groups about their training.
There was hardly a mobile phone in sight – instead there was communication, laughter and relationships everywhere.
It is no exaggeration to suggest that we all have a need for that sense of community, shared purpose and connection.
Joining with others to complete a race or challenge is one step in doing that, but there are many others.
Building social health through running
I’ve written before in this blog about ways you can expand your social network through running. Improving your social health requires the same sort of planning and effort that running does, as Killam highlights in her book: “In the same way you can survey your body for signs of well-ness or illness, you can survey your relationships. And in the same way you can take specific actions to strengthen your physical health, you can improve your social health.”
Here are a few brief ways you can improve your social health as a runner:
- Reach out to other runners. Do you have people who you know who are also interested in running? Why not suggest a run together? I appreciate a step like this isn’t easy and requires some vulnerability, but it could be the start of a brilliant connection for you!
- Join a running club or community. There has been an explosion of informal running networks since the pandemic. They usual balance running with socialising afterwards. Often you can just turn up at an arranged meeting point and go for a run together. Again it requires a wee bit of bravery, but it could be a way to meet lots of people who share your interest in running.
- Sign up for a shared challenge. I’m exploring ways to do this for the London marathon at the moment. I’d like to create a network of people who are all training for London, and who can support each other through it. Why not encourage a group of friends to all sign up for something together, and find ways to encourage each other? Working toward a common goal is a great way to share a running challenge.
A powerful combination
The reality is that running is uniquely powerful in shaping our health, as it has the capacity to improve our physical, mental and social health.
If you take anything from this blog, make it something practical: reach out and organise a run with someone. While I can’t provide any guarantees, I’m willing to claim that run with company will have a positive impact on your overall wellbeing.
I’ll give the final words to this cracking quotation from Maya Angelou:
“We need joy as much as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the earth we share.”
Thank you for reading.
Read: The Art and Science of Connection: Why Social Health is the Missing Key to Living Longer. Kasley Killam.
Listen: Kasley Killam ‘The Art and Science of Connection’ Talks at Google.