LANSING, Mich. — Patti McDonald laces up her shoes and leads a group of runners on a three-mile jog along the Lansing River Trail every Wednesday.
She began running for her own mental health in 2017.
"I started running then when I was reeling from a divorce and I was going through like a lot of mental health issues myself," said McDonald. "I was really suicidal. So a therapist had recommended a form of exercise. And that wasn't the first time that a mental health professional recommended that, so I thought there was something to it."
McDonald is the Lansing chapter captain for the group Still I Run. It's made up of people who, like McDonald, have found mental healing in exercise.
They go out every Wednesday unless extreme weather prohibits it. McDonald said the consistency is key to the group's success and part of the name Still I Run.
"Regardless of what you're going through, still you run," McDonald said. "You know, you might have a bad day. You might be going through some stuff at home, but still you put on those shoes and you put one foot in front of the other. Still I Run’s big missions or like quote that they use is 'forward as a pace.' So you can be walking as long as you're going forward, that’s what matters."
Still I Run is a national organization with chapters across the country. McDonald started the Lansing chapter just this summer after seeing the group on Facebook.
"I wanted to create something more supportive," McDonald said. "I've been to running groups before where I ended up getting alone. And I'm like, 'Well, this is pointless.' So when they started this, I just made sure to tell everyone that this is a supportive community. It doesn't matter if you've run several races. It doesn't matter if you've never run before."
The hope is that by being open about mental health issues, they can decrease the stigma.
"Everyone has mental health, just like physical health. Everyone has it," McDonald said. "So you definitely need to advocate for it for yourself, for family members, for friends. It's not something that's easily talked about but it's something that could save a life, literally."
You can learn more about the organization at stillirun.org and find information on meeting times and locations on the Lansing chapter's Facebookor Instagram accounts.
The group meets Wednesday nights at 6:30 p.m. on the Lansing River Trail.
Want to see more local news? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Neighborhood News, Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines, and Daily Forecasts.
