Our Collective Stories

When anxiety starts to take over, most of us just want one thing—relief. Fast. For some, that means turning to medication, which can be a literal lifesaver. For others, the idea of popping a daily pill might feel overwhelming, intimidating, or just not the first step they want to take. So here’s a question we hear a lot in the Still I Run community: Can running replace anxiety medication? The short answer? It depends.

This May, something powerful happened behind the walls of a mental health hospital in Ohio—something that reminded us exactly why Still I Run exists. For the first time, a group of long-term psychiatric patients were invited to participate in our Runstreak Challenge. With support from hospital staff and the Still I Run community, these individuals laced up—some for short hallway laps, others for supervised outdoor walks—and joined 965 others across the country in logging mile

Strong legs are essential for logging those extra miles, and your calf muscles are more important than you might think. Beyond helping you push off the ground, they are vital in maintaining healthy blood flow, especially during long-distance runs. 

You’re the one who always gets things done. The one people describe as reliable, driven, or “on top of it all.” Your calendar is always packed, your to-do list is never-ending, and somehow, you still find time for a long run on the weekend. On the outside, you seem fine—maybe even thriving. But inside? You feel like you’re running on fumes, your mind is constantly racing, and no amount of productivity ever feels like enough. That’s high-functioning anxiety.