Why Are Miserable Runners Happy?

Whenever I’m out doing inspections, I often tell people about marathons I have run and the difference this sport has made in my life. My observations bring out the typical responses, such as “I’m too out-of-shape to run a block”, “are you crazy” or “I can’t run, I have a bad knee”, and so forth. However, during a recent inspection the discussion elicited a response that put my perspective into an entirely new light. The person told me, “I’ve never seen anybody who looked happy while they are running. In fact, they usually look quite miserable”.

I found myself pondering the marathon-miserable-happiness conundrum while traveling to run the 4th Annual Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon. During a layover at the Atlanta Airport, I stumbled upon Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. Her book explores the essence of “happiness”, how each person can use a “happiness project” to discover the inner secrets of their personal happiness. The book also discusses running a marathon (in the context of exercise) as a path to happiness. Perhaps this book could solve the miserable-happy marathon conundrum? Health inspector minds want to know! I purchased and began reading it on the Atlanta to El Paso segment of the flight.

According to the book, the person must first identify what brings them joy, satisfaction and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom and remorse. Then you identify a series of concrete actions that will boost your happiness and make resolutions to do them. The secret to your personal happiness is revealed as you try to keep the resolutions.

In her book, Gretchen Rubin states, “it isn’t the goal attainment but rather the process of striving after a goal-that is growth-that brings happiness”. She identifies running a marathon as a “goal” rather than a process so the happy feelings that come with crossing the finish line fades with time. Therefore running a marathon itself does not ultimately lead to happiness. While her hypothesis may be true for “one-timers”, I don’t believe it’s true for those who run multiple marathons year-after-year. However, I do believe Mrs. Rubin may have solved the marathon-miserable-happiness conundrum without realizing it.

Committing to multiple marathons requires a number of resolutions to be kept. They include eating better, getting proper rest, being in tune with your body and committing to a healthier lifestyle. The marathons are the intrinsic motivators to keep the resolutions. Keeping the resolutions and running the marathons are symbols we have taken control of our lives. Therein lies the solution to the conundrum. Running marathons may be a physically and mentally miserable experience, but being able to do them means we are in control of our lives. As the Happiness Project explains, that control is a major happiness booster. Perhaps that is why miserable runners are happy.