I Cry When I Run—and If You Don't, You're Honestly Missing Out

By Raakhee Mirchandani for Shape Magazine

There are a lot of things that make me cry: The lyrics to Beyonce's "Brown Skin Girl," listening to my 6-year-old daughter sound out words as she learns to read, and that damn Sarah McLachlan ASPCA commercial. Now, I get why those make me cry: Beyonce is a queen, kids unlocking literature is the single greatest sound in the world, and "Angel" paired with adorable animals in cages who need our help is on the same level of emotional torture as every episode of This is Us.

So when I started crying while I was out on long runs, well, I didn't think much of it. I'm a crier; this is just who I am.

But the tears came fast, furious, and often. Sometimes, silent and dramatic, a single tear I could wipe away and keep moving. Other times, a full Kim Kardashian ugly cry, a cathartic release of something, from somewhere deep within.