In January 2017, psychotherapist William Pullen published a new book, Run For Your Life. An intriguing read, he suggests: “Anyone who has ever gone for a run, jog or even a walk knows that uplifting, happy feeling they get at the end of their journey.” And this will ultimately help with one’s physical and mental health. Some call that “uplifting” and “happy” felling a “runner’s high” and others chalk it up to endorphins, but Pullen seeks to teach us how to focus that incredible energy on experiencing our emotions in motion.
Running for body and mind
Source: Pixabay, used with permission
In Run for Your Life, Pullen argues that we need a radical new approach to — an approach that originates in the body itself. To do this, Pullen, a London-based psychotherapist, came up with Dynamic Running (DRT) and there’s an app to go along with the book.
More than that, the book suggests “strategies to cope with , , change, or . It offers thought exercises (and talking therapies for pairs or groups) inspired by mindfulness and . Importantly, these exercises were specifically designed to be implemented while out on a run or walk. The book, that is, was meant “to offer space for you to reflect on your practice and see your progress as you run through life’s ups and downs.”
**
As a historian, Pullen’s book fascinates me. Why. Well, cast your mind back nearly 50 years. And think about the running craze!
Beginning in the 1970s, Americans took up running with gusto. They felt the need to test their fitness, compete against others, and enjoy running with like-minded people. Some were in it for the runner’s high, while others sought the tranquillity and peace of mind that came with a solitary jog. Sound familiar?
The jogging trend began in the 1970s alongside feminist awareness movements, and women fought for inclusion in long-distance running events, like the Boston Marathon. Although, women began running in the Boston Marathon in 1967, this was against the BAA’s policies as women were not allowed to run in races longer than 1.5 miles.
In 1970, the first New York City Marathon had a mere 126 runners; by 1978, it had 10,000 entrants. Frank Shorter’s gold medal in the 1972 Olympic marathon helped bolster running in the U.S., as did the rockstar popularity of Steve Prefontaine. The creation of the Nike Corporation in Portland offered equipment for budding joggers, and provided some for the German shoe giant Adidas. Jim Fixx’s The Complete Book of Running sold over a million copies and became holy scripture for many Americans. According to Runner’s World Magazine, “the running boom was not imported like American soccer, or engineered for TV-like NASCAR. It happened because runners loved running.”
Running clubs proliferated. According to running guru George Sheehan, the act of running enriched one’s life! Not just the body, but the mind as well. But Pullen has taken it to a whole new (and more) comprehensive level.
**