There’s such a thing as a perfect run, if that’s what makes you tick

It is a late Sunday afternoon and I feel happy. Not happy in the sense that I am about to burst into uncontrollable fits of giggles and not happy as in that feeling of pure ecstasy that you get when you are overjoyed at having won a race or just seen your child takes her first steps. This happiness is one that comes with feeling balanced, complete and fulfilled. I am a bit tired physically and yet I feel invigorated and cannot wait to do it again. Yep folks, what I experienced today was the perfect run.

Happiness has had a lot of bad press over the years. Apparently, where people had been getting it all wrong was in their pursuit of pleasure, smiles and laughter. What wellbeing is all about is meaning and purpose and not mundane activities like enjoying the sunshine, watching a great comedy and woofing down giant chocolate buttons with ice-cream. Really? To some extent this makes sense: When taken to an extreme, a meaningless life of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is not the best prescription for a healthy heart, regenerating neurons and longevity. Moreover, we can all relate to what is known as the hedonic treadmill, which is the human tendency to want to move out of the cardboard box into a small apartment and then after a short period of settling in to crave for the semi-detached with small window box, which when acquired then becomes a desire for a detached house with jacuzzi and water feature plus countryside mansion with yacht for weekends.

So meaning and purpose is the answer to real and lasting well being. This eudaemonic wellbeing is what Aristotle was referring to when he discussed happiness as the highest form of human goodness involving the cultivation of virtue through a broad range of conditions. The psychologist Carol Ryff identified this broad range as psychological well being (PWB) comprising six components. Whilst one’s level of PWB tends to be a relatively stable pattern rather than a sporadic response to changing events that happen throughout the day, I can see how my perfect run fits very nicely with attaining high levels of this eudaemonic or purposeful and growth oriented measure of well being or happiness. Just to provide a context and summary, the run I took today was one that was not time-constrained as I did not have to fit it in around deadlines and meetings. It was one that involved taking a new route, an unexplored route along country lanes and woodland. The weather was fine: a clear sunny day, so that I could see views clearly for miles. April springtime was abundant, with breath taking colour everywhere, especially noticeable being the wild bluebells and sounds of the birds. It was mostly quiet except for occasional passing cyclists, couples hiking and people dog walking, and at one part of the run, I passed a pub in the village green with people chatting outside glugging beers and talking.

The first factor of Ryff’s model is Self-Awareness. Running like this enables me to see what my strengths are. I am a good runner. I have good technique and I have staying power and tenacity. I enjoy the challenge of pushing up those muddy steep hills and running against the strong winds when in the middle of a flat field. I also know my limitations. A six footer sprinted past me with legs twice the length of mine. Being me means being petite with all the positives (sneaking into small spaces) and limitations (high jump, trying to see the stage at a gig, smelling others’ armpits on the London tube).

The second factor is Personal Development which my perfect run provided for me in leaps and bounds, literally. Trying out new routes with steeper hills and uneven surfaces involves skill development. I also learned new skills such as how to run in a straight line whilst simultaneously keeping an eye out for traffic so as to not fall down a ditch and running up a hill with loose gravel so that you get the experience of trying to run up a descending escalator.

Purpose in Life defines the third factor and my perfect run definitely provided that sense of meaning, as experiencing a perfect run involves having the time to stop to savour that sense of being truly close to nature. There is nothing more meaningful to me than being at the top of a hill or in the middle of a field on a clear day and seeing nothing other than the joys of the countryside and woodland all around me. It is an invigorating experience that can only be described as making me feel completely alive and whole. Purpose is also about having direction and goals that are concordant with your values. Running is important to me. I can set myself challenges that push my stamina and speed and ultimately, this choice of sport is valuable to me as I care about maintaining good physical as well as mental health.

Fourthly, we have Autonomy. My perfect run is very much at the heart of what makes me tick. I want to run. I have wanted to run since I was a child. It is my natural instinct. I actually get frustrated when I walk with people who loiter, especially when there are no obstacles and a clear road ahead. So perfect running is something I do through choice and not something I do because society expects me to get fit or do some form of exercise. It is an activity that is self-regulated.

The fifth Ryff factor is experiencing positive relationships with others. What was really the cherry on the cake during my run today is that because I wasn’t on a timer and as I was setting off on a longer route than usual, I could afford to not only stop to smell the roses, but I could also stop to chat to the dog walkers: “You have him well trained”, “How long have you had him?” and even the cyclists on their break: “Are you part of a cycling group?” “Maybe I will join”, “Where are you heading next week?” “Isn’t this a gorgeous day!”

Finally, there is Environmental Mastery, and choosing your own route, being able to stop and chat when you feel like it, being able to manoeuvre my way through obstacles and mostly succeed is a sure way of experiencing that. Perhaps it is the sense of mastery that really holds the key for why this psychological wellbeing has also led to lasting emotional well being and a sense of vigour and overall satisfaction. The psychologist Mihali Csikszentmihalyi created the concept of flow, a feeling you get when you are in the zone and completely engaged with and focused on what you are doing. No wonder I feel fulfilled as well as gratified and generally contented. In other words, I feel happy. Although I have a reasonably good pair of trainers to help me along, it just goes to highlight that the perfect run has not only been a way of developing myself and reaching my potential as a runner, but it also shows how you can still feel pretty amazing with only a bottle of water and a good pair of legs. Who needs jacuzzis and yachts when you can make your own happiness?

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