“Your chest is tightening, breath shortening, mind racing, heart pounding. Gun to your back—you are being controlled by something else…you are out of your own mind, out of your body…listening to what you are being told to do, what to think, your body responds to every heightened emotion…your adrenaline skyrockets…”
This partial opening passage of Alisha Perkins’ new book Running Home reads as if she’s barreling toward the finish line of a great race. But she’s actually referring to being in the grip of anxiety: a full-blown panic attack.
“Your mind is racing and all you want is peace. You panic, you go blank. You have three options: you succumb, you fight or you RUN.”
Perkins chose to run—and to share her story of how, by choosing to run, she changed her life.
Part of her life is extremely relatable. Perkins is happily married and lives in Minnesota, where she and her husband are raising their two daughters. She has a wonderful extended family, races with countless girlfriends every chance she gets, and struggles with balancing it all.
Why the struggle? Well, here’s the part many women might not be able to relate to: Her husband is Glen Perkins, a relief pitcher for the Minnesota Twins baseball team, and, at times, she struggles with debilitating anxiety.
Running Home reads like a runner’s diary. Perkins separates chapters by races, and she has run close to 28 since her first in 2011. From the 5K, to the 10-miler (her favorite distance), to a half-marathon per month to the holy grail of 26.2. With each race, she learns a little more about herself and how to control her anxiety:
How to Talk to Our Daughters About Exercise: Anxiety builds up a lot of adrenaline that your body doesn’t need. By running and racing, Perkins is able to find a healthy release for all that energy and can function better (read: more calmly) in everyday life.
Holding on can help you let go: To-do lists never end, and responsibilities as a mom and wife (especially if your husband is gone as much as hers is!) can easily leave you with zero “me time.” By scheduling races that force her to consistently train, Perkins gives herself what she needs, when she needs it. By doing so, she is a much better wife and mother.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below: Pretty much every runner can relate to this. Running is sometimes the only chance we get to be alone with our thoughts. This alone time gives Perkins the time and separation she needs to clear her head of whatever worries she has that day, come home and move on, having left it on the run!
CA Notice at Collection: How hard is this to do? And then how amazing is it once you finally do? In your running life, you can ask a friend for help being accountable for workouts, you can ask a coach for direction in your training, and you can ask your family for support. By doing this, you are then capable to ask for help outside of running, like Perkins did when she chose therapy and medication to combat her anxiety.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below: Runners often describe running with words like “cleansing,” “calming,” “rejuvenating,” and it is all of those things. Those feelings are especially important to conjure when you suffer from anxiety.
A lot of anxiety stems from control, or more clearly, a feeling of not having any control. Through running, Perkins is able to take control of several different aspects of her life, including her anxiety.
There are countless tales about the life-changing powers of running. And, like many others before her, Perkins not only changed her life, but the lives of so many around her. In fact, she, with the help of her famous husband and community of friends and family, holds an annual 5K to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, a cause they are all passionate about.
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“I never thought that one sport could change my entire outlook on life until I became a runner. Running [is something] I control and, therefore, it becomes a release instead of a restraint.”
Running Home is Alisha Perkins’ first book. It will be released on May 1, 2016, and will be available on her website at alishaperkins.com.
