Are You Addicted To Running?

An old friend of mine from high school who has a suc­cess­ful psy­chi­a­try prac­tice in upstate New York recently pub­lished a blog post on addic­tion that got me think­ing… What is the tip­ping point at which some­thing is no longer a hobby, an inter­est, or even a way of life – but becomes an addiction?

Can one be addicted to running?

Dr. Fer­raioli points out in his post that addic­tions “…DISCONNECT us from our­selves and from our real lives; and that includes the peo­ple in our lives such as our chil­dren, our spouses, our friends, and our com­mu­ni­ties, among others.”

Many of us use run­ning to escape. For me, it’s a brief period in the day where I can clear my head and find respite from every­thing else that’s going on. And I think that’s a very healthy thing. Every­one needs time to “recen­ter” and many of us find that time running.

But can you take it too far?

As with any­thing else in life, the key to suc­cess is bal­ance. Ask your­self, does your run­ning strengthen your fam­ily rela­tion­ships or strain them? Is your fam­ily included in your run­ning goals, or does your run­ning make your fam­ily feel excluded? Does run­ning bring you closer to the ones you love, or does it dis­con­nect you?

If you find your­self on the wrong side of the bal­ance, now is the time to take action. Talk to your fam­ily. Include them. Lis­ten to them. Value them. And then take another look at your train­ing plan and make sure that it gives you the bal­ance you need. Unless you’re a pro­fes­sional ath­lete, it’s OK to cut back on your train­ing. It’s OK to not hit a PR every time. It’s OK to give your­self a break for the sake of your family.

My fam­ily has had a very busy sum­mer this year. We have been camping together and lucky to log two runs a week lately, and I’m happy with that.

I hope to run well into my old age, but I know that the day will come when I will no longer be able to run. My joints will be too old and my mus­cles too weak. I expect that when that day comes I will not regret a sin­gle missed run, failed train­ing plan, unshed pound, or can­celled race. Instead, I will cher­ish the extra time I got to spend with my fam­ily, and hope that we grew to be a stronger fam­ily because of it.