Running With An Attitude of Gratitude

What thankfulness looks like from a runner’s perspective.

I began planning my turkey trot a couple of months ago, and as I was running the other day, I decided I wanted this year to be different.

I wanted a theme to flow throughout all areas of my life as I continue this journey into my sixtieth year on this orb called Earth.

The word thankfulness kept creeping into my brain, so as any proper ultra-runner is known to do, I decided to meditate on the word “thankful” on a twenty-mile run on the beach.

Being a person who dreams of one day possibly being a wordsmith, I finished my run and looked up the origin of the word “thankful.”

Merriam-Webster Dictionary online defines “thankful” as “conscious of benefit received” and goes on to cite “gratitude” as a word of origin first used in the 12th century.

I, therefore, naturally looked up “gratitude” and was surprised to find one that conveyed the true meaning on a Marine Corps site.

Popular Gratitude Activities & Exercises writes, “Gratitude comes from the Latin word “gratus” meaning “thankful” or “pleasing.”

Further in the post, this article used the phrase, “actively choose to find joy in life,” I decided this was the proper theme I was looking for.

Putting Gratitude Into Running

Putting an attitude of gratitude into your running is actually much more simple than you would think.

Start by considering what you are thankful or grateful for as you tie your running shoes.

The other day, I had a rough night of sleep, tossing and turning, stressing out over work issues.

Sitting at the front door, tying my shoes, I did a test run.

I looked at my bright running shoes, coral-colored Altra Mont Blanc shoes, and out loud, I said, “I am so thankful that I don’t have boring shoes and that as I run this morning, every driver will see my shoes.”

As I stepped out the front door and drew a deep breath of the cool morning air, I declared aloud, “I am grateful I can draw a full breath regularly.”

Passing under a highway bridge, I glanced into the darkness where the homeless tents were pitched. “I am so thankful that I can still afford to live indoors and don’t have to try and stay warm in a tent outdoors in the fall and winter.”

When I tripped over the same stone on Mount Trashmore that I have tripped over a gazillion times, I caught myself and said, “I am so thankful that I have the core strength to re-balance myself when I trip now.”

As the sun slowly rose into the morning sky and the fog began to clear a little, I glanced down at the lake and said, “I am grateful for the mist rising off the lake and the beautiful, early morning sky.”

Throughout the run, I found myself not even wondering about pace or mileage and was running steadily, feeling thankful at every turn, every stop light that went on for eternity, and my whole run was filled with the wonder of a grateful life.

I wrote about this a couple of years ago in my article, Run Free By Developing an Attitude of Gratitude, but it is good to get a reminder every now and then.

Make Your Turkey Trot a Gratitude Run

With my mind free from stress and strain, I find running much more manageable, even when running outrageous miles just for fun.

As I finalized my regular crazy turkey trot run that I call the I M Crazy Turkey Trot, I knew this Thanksgiving Turkey Trot would be different.

As I prepare to run throughout my city of Virginia Beach, hitting every WaWa convenience store as way makers, I am filled with gratitude for every mile I run.

This isn’t a new concept or theory. It’s just a declaration that instead of going out for this turkey trot to set a new PR or win the race, run with a deep set of gratitude.

Begin your turkey trot with a declaration of what you are thankful for, and carry that attitude through every mile.

Whether running a local 5K or doing something crazy like running forty miles throughout your city, you will run much more free and relaxed.