Just Another Manic Monday

Just Another Runner’s Perspective October 2024 Written By Gale Fischer

Just Another Manic Monday

“Do what you love and you’ll never have a problem with Monday.”

10/7/2024: I raised my right arm level with my line of sight, shielding my eyes as I ran west on Roosevelt Avenue along the edge of the Kellogg Community College (KCC) campus. The sun hung on the horizon resembling a bright orange ball of fire. Its blinding rays on this section of my run were a stark contrast to the radiant beauty it had portrayed for much of the previous five miles. With the thermometer reading sixty degrees, I couldn’t have imagined a better way to top off the first day of the work week. With less than a mile remaining, I found myself lost in my thoughts but was quickly brought back to the moment with cheers of encouragement coming from KCC’s pickleball court as I climbed the hill approaching North Avenue. With the glaring sunlight and the screen covering the fence surrounding the pickleball court, the source of cheering wasn’t visible, but I easily recognized the voices screaming, “Nice job Coach Fischer!”

As I headed out for my run after cross-country practice an hour earlier, some of the runners from the KCC cross-country team I was coaching had apparently decided to play a few games of pickleball. Today’s run had definitely taken the edge off of this Monday for me, with the cheers coming from my athletes providing the frosting on the cake. As is common with any run, the mood-enhancing effects were undeniable.

For most who implement a running routine into their weekly schedule, the rewards go beyond the cardio benefits. An hour out on the roads can provide an antidote for emotional discontentment. It can recharge the mind when one’s mental battery is running low. The opposite can also occur, mellowing a runner’s state of mind when the brain is on overload. A run can provide a daily escape or become a bridge to a dose of happiness. It can become one’s metaphorical good mood pill. 

In essence, the early morning runner craves the run much like some covet a daily cup of coffee to prepare mentally for the tasks required for the day ahead. The late afternoon runner yearns for the end-of-the-day run, much like some look forward to a happy hour cocktail to unwind from the daily grind. Running can boost physical health while also providing its participants with balance to hit the mental wellness sweet spot.

As I looked at my watch an hour earlier a debate was brewing inside my head. I was tired and hungry. Skipping my planned run and heading home for an earlier-than-planned dinner was a temptation that had me weighing my options. Experience told me however that as exhausted as I was after a long day of work, an hour run would make everything right in my world. Without hesitation, I scanned for the run option on my Garmin watch, locked into a GPS signal, and was on my way. My weary body was not happy with me for my decision for the first four or five minutes, but once I hit cruise control, positive thoughts began to circulate through my mind, and my mood was suddenly refreshed. 

With the thousands of miles that I have run over the last quarter of a century, there are very few runs that I can remember regretting upon completion. Each run provides mood-enhancing feedback although in different ways with varying levels of contentment. My daily and weekly schedule more often than not dictates when I run and how far or how long I run. Many variables play a part in how a particular run can alter and ultimately enhance one’s mood including the time of day that the run takes place, distance, intensity, and whether or not the run occurs with a partner, in a group, or solo. What remains constant most of the time is that after finishing a run, one will likely feel better mentally than before the run. 

Like any therapy, a run is not necessarily a permanent solution, but it can solve all of life’s problems even if only temporarily. Although a day of the week doesn’t fall into the category of a significant life problem, Mondays always seem to cause an extra layer of chaos for me, creating a mental hurdle to jump over. I love my job but there always seems to be a delay in finding the routine each Monday. Trying to locate the groove again after two days away from the office always feels exhausting. Knowing that there are another five days to get through before another weekend will sometimes dampen my spirit. Wednesday is typically referred to as hump day as a metaphor for surviving the uphill hike to crest the mountain peak with the downhill portion of the work week to follow. Although Wednesday is the midpoint of the weekly grind, Mondays have always been my bump in the road to climb over, with Tuesday through Friday feeling like my downhill stretch.

As therapeutic as running is for me any day of the week or any time of day I have always felt that I get the best bang for my buck when running after work on Monday. The beginning of the work week usually comes with an extra layer of stress. When the clock strikes four PM,  the thought of going home and crashing seems like the obvious option with an hour run feeling less than desirable. It becomes a matter of jumping in head first and getting it over with. After the initial shock, the mental boost takes over and erases the Monday blues. There is no better time to run than Monday after work.

Until next time, this has been just another runner’s perspective.