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This Joy Run Theme: Ups & Downs
This week why not seek out elevation. Embrace the climb. And when it’s time to go downhill, let yourself enjoy it. You’ve earned it.
Walk if you need to. Pause if you want to. But don’t shy away from the hill.
Because running – like life – is full of challenges.
Don’t have easy access to a hill? Swap for steps or simply the highest point you can find. Or lean into the metaphorical ups and downs that running helps to navigate.
Examples of how the Joy Runs community ran this theme:
- Elevation runs at dawn
- Heart pounding hill training
- 1700ft hilltop views in Greece
- Rolling woodland trails
- Sightseeing Malaga’s tall buildings
- Shade (ups) & sun (downs)
As always, don’t forget to tag Joy Runs on Instagram to be featured in our gallery 📸
Why Hills Matter: 5 Life Lessons From Running Hills
Life Lesson #1: Broaden Your Horizons
The moment you start climbing, everything changes. Your breath shortens. Your heart works harder. Your legs begin to ache. You may even have to slow to a walk. But that’s not failure – it’s strategy. You’re pacing yourself. You’re learning what you’re made of. Chasing joy.
Eventually, you reach the top. A sense of achievement hits.
And then, the view. You can see where you’ve come from – and get a glimpse of where you’re headed next. Your horizons broadened.
Life Lesson #2: A Lesson in Contrast
Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.
Running is a great mental health tool. It’s a great way to decompress after a bad day. Unplug from the fake rush of modern life. Process problems. Or gain perspective whilst immersing yourself in the beauty and vastness of the natural world.
I’m a big believer that every hill we face teaches us something. And the more we embrace that process, the more resilient we become – not in some abstract way, but in small, everyday choices and coping mechanisms.
Taking the scenic route reminds us: we’ve done hard things before. We can do them again.
In instances when a younger me might have headed to the pub, I’ve come to realise heading for the trails serves me so much better. It’s not about running away from issues, but using running to find inner calm and a way forward. A deliberate decision to build a more resilient mind and body.
Hills teach us patience, grit, humility – and how to keep moving even when it’s tough.
Life Lesson #3: Finding Joy in the Effort
Joy Runs is all about running happy. But that’s not to say ramping up the effort can’t be fun.
There’s a particular kind of joy that comes from setting goals and overcoming challenges. The knowledge you’ve turned up and pushed yourself. Feeling the burn in your legs. The obstacles along the way.
It’s the joy of being fully in it. Present. Grateful for what your body can do. Feeling a plan come together. The sense of progress.
It’s why the climb is often more enjoyable than the summit.
Life Lesson #4: Moving Mindfulness When Running Hills
The more challenging nature of hill running forces you to be more present and aware of your body and surroundings. Speed goes out of the window.
There’s strength in being mentally connected with your movement and not wishing to change the moment or react to it, but to lean into it in a helpful way. Free from anxiety or worry. Not indulging external pressures or distractions. Really listening in order to form a deeper connection with your running and find a path forward.
Related Reading —> The Joy of Mindful Running & Running As Therapy
Life Lesson #5: Connecting With The Natural World
While cities offer convenience, running up and down hills is blessed with nature.
Open, magical, tranquil places, away from the stresses of modern life. More poetic than pavements.
Such encounters are scientifically proven to be good for us. Studies have shown that “green exercise” can lead to greater reductions in stress, anxiety, and depression compared to indoor or urban settings. For example, a study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology found that just five minutes of outdoor exercise in a green space can improve mood and self-esteem (Barton & Pretty, 2010). This natural setting promotes mindfulness, reduces mental fatigue, and helps restore attention, making running in nature not just a workout, but a powerful tool for emotional resilience and cognitive clarity.
Running in nature also poses new challenges for runners, including the feel of different terrain under foot, nature’s obstacles to side-step, and pick-your-own-adventure style routes.
Learn to Love Running the Ups & Downs, and Everything In-Betweens
A lifelong love of running needs variation. In routes. Terrains. Elevations. Challenges.
The point is not that hills are better than flats. It’s that training schedules, like life, need mixing up to stay fun and engaging. Running teaches us when to push – and when to pause. When to cherish what’s on our doorstep – and when to venture a little further or differently to broaden our horizons.
