Smiling and Feeling Happy While Running?
Don’t fret if you find it difficult to “whistle while you work”
If you scan your memory for the all the times you saw someone running, you’ll no doubt be able to recall numerous facial expressions, or perceived emotions on their faces. Runners are often smiling or even chuckling while running alongside a run-buddy, and other times it appears they’re stuck in their own private hell, and yet other times they are expressionless. Does this inform us more about their individual personalities, or more about the type of workout they are doing? The short-answer is “the latter.” So, if you’re not smiling and/or not feeling particularly “happy” while running, then don’t worry…it’s not you, it’s the workout.
In my book, The Art of Run Training, the last chapter is titled, “Motivation, Goal Setting, Confidence, and Happiness,” and therein I promote the wonderful aspects of running, training, and racing that lead to happiness in both the short-term and long-term. There is much happiness to be gained from leading a healthy, active lifestyle, and from doing some kick-ass workouts along the way. But am I suggesting that you run with a smile on your face for hours at a time, or even several minutes at a time? Definitely not! I'd question your mental health if you were able to do that. Similarly, I am certainly not suggesting that your facial expressions need to portray pain if the workout is high-intensity.
On one hand, I'm merely suggesting that a few times during your run (regardless of distance) you can try to crack a smile for a second or two. It'll help fool the brain into thinking that what you're doing is either enjoyable or at least not a “miserable experience”. Smiling while running is much easier to do when the intensity is low, such as an easy jog, and this is why you’ll often see smiling faces when a large run club goes past you on their weekly jog (key word). And let’s not forget that smiling faces are definitely more marketable, so now you know why “influencers” and “workout celebs” are usually (not always) smiling in their workout posts…it’s more profitable.
On the other hand, I'm always honest in stating that running is not a “flowers and sunshine” activity all the time, and this applies to all sports, as well as most of life's endeavors, right? This honest reality doesn't mean that we've developed a pessimistic attitude toward running (or life), it simply means that we're usually running (or living) in the neutral zone, which implies (in a very healthy way!) that we are focused, concentrating, and getting sh*t done! This neutral look is the facial expression you’ll see when you watch professional races on TV, or when running a sub-2:00:00 marathon, right (see main photo above)? When was the last time you saw an Olympic runner smiling mid-race (not counting Usain Bolt as seen below!), or heard the peloton giggle as they climbed the Alps during the Tour? When we are engaged in high-intensity workouts (e.g., speed-work on the track), we are typically highly focused, which is the way it’s supposed to be, and alas, this is where the neutral, emotionless face enters the picture.
I make it a point to smile at the race volunteers as often as I can…or as often as I remember to do so. Whether it's on the bike or running, it's only going to last a few seconds at the most, and it's a cheap way to make sure I'm not in the miserable zone, and that I'm at least sitting nicely in neutral, which is the goal. The research on Flow theory supports this claim, which I discuss in more detail in the finale of The Book. “In the zone”, “in a groove”, etc…it's all under the umbrella of Flow theory, which states emphatically that the emotional part of our brain is shut-off (in a good way) when we're accomplishing meaningful goals, which means that the actual real-time “experience of happiness” isn't a guarantee during most types of training.
Are there exceptions to the rule? Sure. Always. Hence the social aspect of running + someone cracking a joke at the gym that makes you laugh between sets + endless other examples. So, when you're doing hard work and maybe there's nobody else around to do slapstick improv, then crack a smile to yourself or the next runner you pass…it'll fool the brain into thinking that the intensity of the run is lower than you think. With that in mind, remind yourself that handing a birthday present to your niece/nephew is not the same experience as a track workout, so again, as long as you are in *neutral* during harder efforts, then you are training/experience/feeling the same as world champion athletes…even if you're pace is nowhere close to theirs.
There are times when we have jammin' tunes in our ears when we run, or a funny podcast, and we smile lots during those particular runs, but that's usually an easy jog. I seriously doubt that would happen during a harder effort, in which case music often becomes distracting and more harmful than helpful. I'm not doubting you per se in terms of whether you can “enjoy” a very high-intensity workout in-the-moment, but I'm noting the potential disconnect between the focus required (Flow) and what you're therefore not focusing on in-the-moment. The positive feelings we have from higher-intensity workouts typically come after the workout is complete (for several different reasons/mechanisms), so if you don’t whistle while you work, then perhaps you’re intensely focused and/or still in some type of learning period for the task-at-hand, so hopefully I just gave you some peace of mind.
To recap, in order to avoid “miserable”, you don’t need to feel like “flowers and sunshine,” you simply need “neutral”…“Just Do It”, right?
Train Smarter, Not Harder!
Mike