The Running Addiction

By Jennifer Bondurant • Photo by Chris Hollaway

Running and other exercises that involve aerobic activity have both cardiovascular and mental health benefits, says Dr. David Flood, director of the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute at Capital Region Medical Center and an avid believer in aerobic exercise.

“Aerobic exercise is good for your mental health in that is induces the brain to release endorphins into the blood stream — that’s good for anti-anxiety, anti-stress, your sense of well-being,” Flood says. “You feel good after exercise and get addicted. You want that sensation of well-being that you get when you get to that aerobic threshold.”

Cathy Schafer, internal medicine nurse practitioner at JCMG, has been a runner since seventh grade. Now 52, she plans to continue her practice of a daily run until the day she dies.

“If I can’t or don’t run, I don’t feel as good,” she says. “For me, my runner’s high is how some people feel about their cup of coffee in the morning. If I don’t get it, my whole day is off.”

Schafer is up at 4:20 every morning to run four to seven miles at the YMCA. Conscious of concrete’s wear on her knees, she opted for the treadmill earlier this year but prefers to run outside.

“When I was a sprinter in high school, I don’t think I ever felt the runner’s high, but running long distance, I think I’ve felt that,” Schafer says. “The longer I’m out there, the better I feel physically and emotionally. Even if I have a cold or back pain, I don’t notice them when I am running.”

According to Flood, recommendations for exercises that raise the heart rate vary from patient to patient and are specific to age and cardiac condition.

“If you break a sweat, you are achieving the benefits of aerobic conditioning,” Flood says. Along with some kind of daily exercise such as brisk walking or cycling and cross-training, he recommends people work up to running three days each week.

Keri Austin, owner of Wilson’s Fitness, cautions that there are a few things to keep in mind before beginning a running routine. Chief among them is the need to get your doctor’s approval. If you plan on running outside, make sure your joints are strong enough.

“A lot of people physically just can’t run on the concrete because it’s too hard on their joints,” Austin says. For them, a treadmill might be a better option. Walking and elliptical machines offer even less impact.

Austin also suggests getting an analysis of your gait to determine what type of shoe fits your foot type best. Austin, Flood and Schafer all recommend investing in good shoes before running.

When you are ready to begin, give yourself time to adjust to the new routine.

“I would suggest that you start a walk-run interval,” Austin says. “So maybe the first week that you start, you might walk for five or six minutes then jog for one. It’s getting your body and your lungs and your muscles prepared and getting better at what you would eventually be doing for 30 minutes.”

Schafer reminds would-be runners that it’s not for everyone. “For many adults who have never run, they might not like it, but a good brisk walk can be just as good,” she says. n

Real-Life Runners

By Amy J. Hoffman

They’re not doctors, not physical trainers or members of a track team, but these real people have developed a running routine.

Rick Contryman

Retired from the Missouri Department of Social Services, Contryman has been running for nearly half his life. He started in 1979 when he was inspired by a couple of co-workers who ran on their lunch hours. Believing that he was in better shape than they were, he figured that if they could run, so could he. Before long, Contryman found himself running every day.

“Then I kind of got into racing and enjoyed that for a little while,” he says. “It kind of gave me some goals.” In addition to shorter races, Contryman has run in eight marathons.

“I don’t run too far or too fast anymore, but I do go every day.” In fact, Countryman celebrated his 19th consecutive year of daily running on          Nov. 24, 2009.

“There are some days that are tough, when it’s snowing and cold or 100 degrees, but you just have to go out and do it,” he says. “That’s it.”

In addition to keeping “some of the poundage off,” Contryman credits his regular routine with helping him to maintain a mentally healthy lifestyle.

“It’s a good stress release,” he says. “Frustrations, troubles, all that you can leave on the pavement out there. Take it out on the asphalt.”

Laura Payne

Laura Payne, mother of three and a sales and marketing representative with Midwest Advertising Specialties, had been running on and off for years but never made the commitment to a real routine until two years ago.

“I decided I wanted to start running on a regular basis … to get in shape and to get in better health than I had been,” she says. “I had a lot of stress and changes going on in my life, and I just wanted to find an outlet to refocus my energy and get my stress under control.”

With the help of a trainer, Payne worked up to running between four and six miles most days of the week. She supplements her routine with weights and circuit training but really feels that running has made the biggest difference for her health. Currently, Payne runs about four times a week. Weather permitting, she’s outside, but most of the time she’s on the treadmill.

“Finding the time and energy with three little girls and working full time has sometimes been a challenge, but my daughters always seem to be good sports about going to the gym with me,” says Payne, whose daughters are 3, 6 and 7 years old. “They would even tolerate watching me run around our driveway if I didn’t have a lot of time.”

Payne recently tried her hand at racing and took part in two 5k runs; she finished fifth in the first and second in the most recent.