How Running Gives You Superpowers
Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to have superpowers? To have extraordinary abilities that enhance your natural gifts and talents so you can change the world and do anything you want to achieve?
At some point we all dream of becoming a stronger, smarter and more heroic version of ourselves.
What’s amazing is that it’s entirely possible to have those powers that without a cape or mask, or without being born with superhuman abilities.
Would you believe that all it takes to become a superhero is to simply strap on a pair of shoes and go for a run?
Running has tremendous power. It can make you feel strong in your mind, body, spirit and heart. But it also can do so much more. Running can transform you into the person you dream of becoming, into the hero of your own life’s story.
Growing up, I was obsessed with superhero movies and tv shows like “Batman,” “Spider-man,” and the “X-men.” I would often daydream what it would be like to have superpowers such as telekinesis, super strength, x-ray vision, or the ability to fly. I wondered what it feel like to put on a super suit that would transform me from a shy, overweight 13 year old kid into someone more powerful and confident, ready to take on any challenge I faced.
All it took to uncover those powers and go from awkward teenager to hero of my own story was to get out the door and go for a jog.
The day I stepped out the door for my first two mile run down my street was the day my origin story began.
Instead of getting exposed to gamma rays, finding a super suit, or creating a lair full of cool gadgets, I started running every day. And on those runs I discovered hidden superpowers deep inside me, waiting to be unleashed.
The gamma rays were the roads I explored. The super suit was a t-shirt, shorts and a pair of running shoes. The gadgets were a watch, sunglasses and a music player.
Since that first run many years ago, my powers have continued to grow and develop. I still haven’t discovered how to control the weather, leap over tall buildings, and I definitely don’t have super speed!
Yet through running, I have discovered other powers that have pushed me to accomplish huge life goals, and allowed me to use my natural gifts and abilities to bring more fulfillment, success and purpose into my life. I believe that anyone can have these powers and also discover their own to become heroes in their own world.
Here are just a few powers that I’ve discovered in my own running journey:
The Power of Transformation
In the same way a super serum transformed Steve Rogers from scrawny kid with a big heart into the bulked up super soldier Captain America, running can completely transform you inside and out. Not only will it make you physically fit, but it can also take the best parts that are inside yourself — courage, heart, perseverance, and bring them out into the open to amplify your greatest strengths.
As soon as I started running, I transformed from an unsure teenager into a more confident, self-assured person. For the first time in my life, I took more leadership, and set the bar high to accomplish things I never thought were possible. Like many heroes who step into their uncovered greatness, running will transform you into a better version of yourself.
The Power of Vision
When I run, I see the future. There is plenty of science that speaks to the power that visualization has in making big leaps in performance and actualizing goals. When you’re in the flow of a run you enter into a state of heightened sensation that allows you to feel what it’s like to achieve your desired end result.
On my runs I come up with my best ideas, inspiration, and motivation to act on those visions. Not only does this help for race training, but I do my most vivid dreaming while I run, and a lot of my dreams and visions have turned into reality. When I’m stuck, I go for a run and think hard on what I want to accomplish so that I can come up with new ideas to move me closer to that goal. If you not only want to create a clear vision of what your future will be like, but actually make it a reality, running will help you do that.
The Power of Strength
Running doesn’t just give you physical energy and strength, but also incredible mental toughness. Self-doubt, limiting beliefs and a harsh inner critic are pretty tough villains to defeat, but running and training can help you learn how to overcome these villainous mental blocks that can be paralyzing in your pursuit of big goals.
Before I ran my first marathon, I was filled with limiting beliefs, and wasn’t sure I could do it. But putting in the effort to train physically AND mentally gave me strength to push through the doubts and cross the finish line. The mental and physical toughness that running gives you will make you stronger in all areas of your life.
Every runner experiences their own superhero origin story. When you discover how it can truly change your life, as it did mine, it will feel like you were bitten by a radioactive spider, discovered the bat cave, or given a green lantern power ring.
The most powerful superheroes in movies, tv and comics are the ones who are flawed, who have the dark corners, and have persevered through tragedy. They are often ordinary in some shape or form, and have to use their mind, hearts and bodies to overcome extraordinary circumstances.
The amazing thing that running does to anyone who commits their heart to it, is it can give you your own unique superpowers. Not the powers that make you invincible or omnipotent (all though there are times you’ll feel that way), but powers that give you grit and resilience through the darkest moments, and ones that shine a light on your greatness when you’re at your peak.
Running can transform you mentally and physically, change the way you see the world, push you beyond limits you never knew existed, and create a greater purpose than yourself.
Anyone can overcome the toughest of circumstances in their life, find more purpose, and discover the (super)power within themselves.
All it takes is a good run.
