2024 will always be the year I started running. My first run was on January 14th, and since then, I’ve stuck to it. One run every other day, all year long. I never would have guessed it, but running turned out to be one of the highlights of my year, profoundly improving my life in ways I didn’t expect.

I ran 889,5 kilometers, which took me 106 hours and 49 minutes. My average pace was 7'12"/km. My current average pace for December 2024 is 6'23".

Since I started running in January, I’ve noticed something that, while not incredibly surprising, is still new to me: while I’m running, I feel stronger, more physically capable, and healthier. It’s a reliable way to experience eustress on a scalable level.

What’s more, when my body feels like it’s functioning as it should, the quality of my thinking improves as well.

Physical strength leads to clearer, more optimistic thoughts, and less ego-driven thinking. When I’m not using energy to build up defenses, it’s easier to be more kind, humble, friendly, empathetic, and loving.

In short, feeling physically strong makes it easier to think strong thoughts. Running is a simple, scalable and reproducable way to achieve that.