The secret nod of runners

Does running make a person happier? I had heard this before from runners and I often thought to myself, B.S. I dismissed them as some sort of secret cult. They all waved at each other and what I couldn't understand for the life of me, was the secret nod with the smirk. You see them as early as 5 in the morning, the runners passing each other down streets or bridges, all nodding at each other with that tiny smirk on the side of their lips. As I drove to work on some days I saw them, happy, running, nodding and even waving as early as 5 in the morning and I would think they were crazy to be running that early instead of sleeping... I used to think like that.

So what changed? I became one of them. I started walking, then jogging, then running, then racing and then I became a happier version of me. Runners are unique. They all support each other and there's an instant openness about topics you normally wouldn't discuss with others in an open forum. You can talk about puking, diarrhea, chafing in the worst areas, your ugly feet, your bruised ego, your strengths, your weaknesses and in return, you will receive advice, support, and a high five in person or via a virtual network. All runners want other runners to do better. It doesn't matter if you are slower or faster, because the fun is in reaching new goals and pushing yourself farther. You run against yourself and if you are one of those elite runners, well then you compete against others and you are naturally talented and everyone roots for you. 

For the most part, people like myself that are not professionals, run against their own best time so in turn you end up improving yourself. Every time you go one mile farther, you smile and you come across that feeling of satisfaction over and over again - and within this, lies happiness. So yes, running makes you happy. The pursuit of new goals and the attainment of them brings joy. The peace you get from a long run, the camaraderie of sharing some journeys with your running friends, the hard work and dedication that is required, the strength you need to work on to reach those long distances, the weeks of training that go into a race, the months of working towards that long distance, the sacrifices, the running in all sorts of weather, the pain, the recovery, the pushing harder, the crushing of your PR's and the rush of satisfaction knowing you did it... Runners get this and that's the secret nod. 

We nod because we recognize each other at 5am or at 5pm, and we nod because we're symbolically patting each other on the back and saying "GOOD JOB, keep it up!".