It's my workout, I can cry if i want to

Every time my family runs the Tour de Pain, a series of three road-races in 24 hours, you can count on two things: One—somewhere between finishing the 4-mile beach run on Friday night and waking up for a 5K at o’dark hundred on Saturday morning, we are wondering if it’s two late to refund our entry fee and abort fitness mission. And two—before the weekend ends, at least one of us will cry.

We’ve all cried once, me, my mom and my older sister. My breakdown was about 2-miles deep into the dreaded beach run, and there were several factors that, at the time, warranted a good cry. First of all, we were running slanted. For some reason, the beach was on a sharp incline instead of its normal flatness. Also, we were running an out-and-back course, meaning we ran 2 miles in one direction, about faced and ran back. Meaning, super-fast runners are coming back long before I’m even approaching the half-way mark. Meaning, I’m running in loose sand to make room for these ultra-athletes.

Thirty-degree tilt and quicksand for footing not enough to shed a few tears? Mile marker two—enter high tide and soggy shoes. Running shoes, by the way, need a disclaimer, something to the effect of, “Warning: These shoes become bricks when wet.”

So, at this point, I did what anyone does when they are running through 3-inch deep water with sand sticking to every inch of bare skin, 10-pound cinderblock shoes and 2 miles still remaining. I sobbed. My chest heaved from shortness of breathe and sheer exasperation. I cried like a baby for its mom. Then my mom passed me, so I cried a little harder.

According to an MSNBC.com article, “Moved to tears: Workouts and waterworks,” tears and sweat go hand in hand. However, unlike my miserable breakdown, the article referred to tears of joy or release.

The article explained that when we stress or experience something negative, we often physically tense up our bodies to block out the emotion. The motion of exercise can cause these pent-up emotions to resurface. Often this happens in exercises like yoga or Pilates.

Although I’ve never witnessed any sudden outbursts in yoga class (though I’ve only been to a handful), the potential for exercise to release emotions doesn’t surprise me. I often rely on runs to relieve stress or anxiety, so why not sadness? On The Franklin Institute Web site, the article about the human brain and stress gives several methods to do away with anxiety. Two methods they mentioned are exercising and crying. Combining the two just seems more efficient.

So do I see any sob-fests on my runs in the near future? Not likely. But if you see me jogging down 16th Avenue with tears streaming down my face, know that they are tears of joy. But just to be safe, you may want to stop and offer me a lift.