Pretty much as soon as I got interested in running, I got interested in 'Running People' - no, not just the Tarahumara, I mean all running people. People who run back to back marathons simply for the 'fun' (?!? When will I get to this point!!)) of it, or who run to overcome serious illness, grief, or addiction to smoking, drugs and an unhealthy lifestyle. These people were - and still are - a huge source of inspiration to me, and I like nothing better than to settle down with a good running magazine, a cup of tea and the latest article on the life of an extra-ordinary runner.
Recently, however, I have started to notice similar themes running through each article, and it began to ring a bell - bringing up distant memories of Sport Psychology lectures and discussions of exercise addiction. People who are elite athletes, or those who perform the amazing runner feats I admire so much, show (in the articles at least!) a true commitment to their running, covering a huge weekly mileage and dedicating large percentage of their time to the sport. They have strict exercise regimes, matched by strict diets for optimum performance. Many people who have talked about using running to overcome an unhealthy habit or lifestyle, claim to have changed their social life dramatically - swopping nights out with friends for an early morning distance run. All good and healthy, right?
Or is it. People diagnosed with an exercise addiction, spend large amounts of time exercising, sticking to strict exercise regimes and diets, and will choose the exercise before a social life - friends and family being firmly on the back burner. Sound similar? There is, in fact, a thin line between a positive, committed attitude to exercise such as running, and an unhealthy addiction, with the main difference simply being the runners attitude to their regime, and I started to wonder which side the runners I knew were on. And not just the famous ones mentioned in magazines - the more I read around the subject, the more I started to draw links to my marathon running friends - and myself!
Aside from the diet and exercise, addicted runners can become anxious and irritable if they are unable to complete a scheduled run, with the added feeling of guilt at missing training. Having had occasions when work has meant I haven't got home in time for a run, I (and my long-suffering boyfriend...!) can definitely relate to this. Missing a run makes me cranky and restless until I can next get out and get my 'runners high' to de-stress! Another symptom is constantly thinking about your sport (um, yep...!), buying lots of clothes/ trainers/ sports equipment related to running (again... yep...!!). So, do I have an unhealthy addiction? There is a way to test!
The Running Addiction Scale is a set of 18 questions which you score on a 5-point scale, from 'strongly agree' to 'strongly disagree'. Of these questions, 11 have been considered to be the strongest indicators of addiction: Where do you lie?
1. I run on a regular basis
2. If the weather is too hot, too cold or too windy, I will not run that day
3. I would not reschedule activities with my friends in order to run
4. I have stopped running for a period of at least 1 week for a reason other than injury
5.I would run with intense pain
6. I have not spent much money on running literature, equipment or accessories
7. If there were another way to maintain my present fitness, I would not run anymore
8. After I run, I feel better
9. I would continue to run while an injury healed
10. On some days, even though I do not feel like running, I do anyway
11. I feel that I need to run at least once every day
Another test which you can do on a regular basis can be found here - I scored 82, so I think I'm safe.. for now :-)
Scored higher and think you may need help? Cognitive therapy, switching to alternative exercise (e.g.swimming) to give your body a break and taking up yoga have all been shown to help - or speak to your doctor or running coach for advise.
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