What do I have to be grateful for? It’s a question I tried to asked myself every day in December.  For I was one of many thousands of runners to sign up for a challenge organised by the Run Grateful movement which was to dedicate a mile every day that month to something or someone you are grateful for in your life. The challenge was to try and focus/meditate upon your gratitude for that ten minutes or so that it took to complete your mile. The concept is simple, but also incredibly powerful, as anyone who has ever practised grateful running or mediation can testify.

Sadly, I probably only managed about half a month’s worth of grateful miles, but I still found the experience so worthwhile.

I first came across the Run Grateful movement about a year ago on Instagram and it resonated with me immediately. I started following the founder Mark White and then he generously agreed to be interviewed on my Why Run? podcast last summer. As he explained on the show:

“If you tune into the world in certain ways, it’s quite disheartening, because of what goes on…but if you focus upon what you can do rather than what you can’t, it’s an incredible place.”

In the interview, Mark spoke about his recovery journey from addiction and how it was while he was in rehab, that he started to learn about gratitude. It was not something that he had ever considered before and the concept of being grateful, helped Mark to view his life from a different perspective. He began to realise that rehab was an opportunity for him to turn his life around. He had space to think about his choices …in the same way that we all have: in the way we approach our lives, our relationships, our families, and the world around us.

Since then, Mark has been on a journey of discovery and in 2009, he started running. Over time, this led him to set up the Run Grateful movement and today, the movement has tens of thousands of followers in 80 countries around the world. 

“The idea of gratitude is focusing on the good. What’s gone well today. What have you done well today? Even if it’s getting up in the morning…for some people that’s a win in itself,” explained Mark.

I found speaking to Mark incredibly inspiring and since then, I have toyed with the idea of grateful running, albeit with mixed success. I am not a person who finds it easy to commit to anything and, like many others, I find my concentration and ability to focus in a meditative way can waver greatly.

However when I saw Mark’s post inviting people to sign up to Run Grateful’s latest challenge, I decided to give it a go.  

At the time, I’d been recovering from a virus and my motivation was definitely low for running. As I thought about the challenge though, I could feel a sense of purpose and hope kindling within me. That morning, it was a beautiful cold bright, frosty day. As I wrapped up and set off for the park, I could feel my recent malaise lifting as I identified my intent for that day. With the news so full of war and killing, I chose to run for the privilege of living in a peaceful place in the world. With each stride I took, my awareness of my surroundings sharpened. Taking time to appreciate the last autumn leaves catching the sunlight and the frost sparkling beneath my feet, I could truly see the peace and beauty around me.  By the end of my first grateful run, my legs felt less leaden, my recent fatigued mindset felt less enduring and my awareness of my surrounding felt sharper and brighter.

In the coming days and weeks, I found that watching reels and reading posts about other runners’ grateful miles was a great source of encouragement and inspiration. A mother spoke of her gratitude for children after a long battle with infertility. Another runner spoke of her gratitude for having a warm, safe home when so many people live on the streets, in tents and in unsafe accommodation.  I spoke about my gratitude for my health and my ability to move after being diagnosed with stage three cancer six years ago. And so the stories went on. Hundreds, if not thousands, sharing gratitude. Love, appreciated acts of kindness, felt hope during adverse times…were all popular subjects.

 Talking about his motivation for founding Run Grateful, Mark said: “I want to bring hope to others, because I’ve experienced that. There was a time in life that I needed a cheerleader and it inspires me to play a small part in getting helping others to get up and get running.”

Many runners need events, challenges and training programmes to stay motivated and I can’t say that applies to me. But I am a great believer in the mental health benefits of running and any practice that helps us feel better – not just in the moment of physical activity - but in the way we approach life which might bring us a little more clarity, or hope, or acceptance,  has got to be a good thing. My thoughts and insights gained during my Run Grateful challenge are still with me and if I’m left with anything now, it’s that I want to continue to pursue and nurture the concept of gratitude in the year ahead.

So if you or anyone you know needs a little motivation, encouragement or focus at the moment, I would definitely consider checking out Run Grateful. You don’t need to be a runner, just someone willing to get out and move for a mile, whether it’s walking, jogging or running. You won’t regret it, for hope is an essential element for us all. 

For more information about Run Grateful visit:

Instagram - @rungratefulofficial

www.rungrateful.com