I spend a lot of time in my head.

I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember, the model of the intelligent introvert: quiet, almost constantly daydreaming, my face buried in a book or lost in my own world(s) while I listen to music and just…think. This is why solitary pursuits like reading and writing have always received most of my attention. It’s not a bad way to be or to live—most of the time.

Sometimes, though, I desperately need to get out of my head. I need a reprieve from my chattering mind. Sex works wonders, and that’s one reason why it’s at the top of my list of Things I Like To Do. When I’m having sex, I’m totally in the present, connected to my body in a visceral way that I am usually not. Even better, I’m connected to the body of another person or persons; for an introvert who has trouble making connections with other people, the connection I feel through sex is especially profound.

But I can’t always turn to sex. Whatever my teenage self might have imagined, we adults know that sometimes, even if a willing partner is nearby, other things can get in the way of sex. Sometimes it’s just timing, other times it’s something else.

Whatever the reasons, when I can’t turn to sex to engage my body and get out of my head, I turn first to running.

I can probably come up with a long list of reasons why running is a great alternative to sex when sex isn’t an option, but there are really just four reasons why running works well for me:

1. No matter my fitness level at any particular time in my life, I can always run long enough and far enough that I reach the kind of physical exhaustion I need to mute the noise in my head.
2. Running can be done solo, but—like sex—it’s better with a partner (or several!)
3. I love the wilderness places of the world, and trail running means that I get to see twice as much (or more!) as I would see if I was just walking/hiking.
4. Running is one of the cheapest, most minimalistic sports a person can practice. No membership costs, not a whole lot of equipment to purchase or maintain, and those items that I do need/want on a run (e.g., shoes, a running pack, headlamp) are not prohibitively expensive (in my case, at this time in my life).