“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”
Eleanor Roosevelt
The above quote feels pretty relevant to my “entry” into running. As a kid, I was pretty quick. I swam, so had good lungs, and I knew how to push harder than many other 11 year old girls. And I was competitive. At that age, it was enough. Fast forward through growth spurts, tendinitis in my knees, and a lot more swimming, I hated running. I didn’t want anything to do with it. Without making you too dizzy, if we fast-forward again, I’ve now done an Ironman triathlon, which includes a 42.2km run, and have plans for many more.
You’re forgiven for having whiplash.
I was vocal about my hatred for running, very vocal. But it intrigued me. Even more so after reading Natural Born Heroes and Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It seemed so incredibly simple and freeing, returning to a movement I had conditioned myself to hate. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough to get me to lace up my trainers (or even buy a pair) and take up running.
Not until my retirement from rowing, and the subsequent period of impulse behaviour that followed. This included signing up to Copenhagen Ironman with less thought that what I would be having for dinner. Now I didn’t have a choice, I needed to learn to run.
“I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.”
Dean Karnazes, American ultramarathon runner
I’ve got to be honest, initially I didn’t think it would be a fairy-tale ending. It certainly wasn’t the love at first sight that I had hoped for. It was so poetic in the literature that I had read; the flow of the gait; the adaptations of our body; the physical, emotional and mental benefits… My heart rate reached 204 on my first run, which was 4km, and I ended a sweaty mess looking like a tomato with unbelievable DOMS. Yeah thanks Christopher McDougall, maybe I wasn’t Born to Run.
It took months of exercising my patience, swallowing my ego to run slow and short distances, and ultimately doing LOADS of walking out in New Zealand to encourage my body (and mind) that this running thing wasn’t so bad. My body got there before my mind did, and my enjoyment in running only came in January this year. I’d had in waves before the Ironman, but back pain usually stopped it in it’s tracks. 12 months into consistent training and my body had adapted to what I was asking of it, and I felt like I could take the training wheels off.
My enjoyment also coincided with my rediscovery of trails.
New Zealand introduced me to trails, and that was a turning point for me, but the Afan Forest Half Marathon in February brought them to life in the UK.
Whenever someone mentioned “trail running” my mind shot to cross country races with people caked head to toe in mud, shivering, waiting for some terrible hot chocolate to warm them up. Not exactly appealing. But trail running doesn’t need to be this. For me, it’s where I found the adventure in running, and that’s when I got hooked. Scaling the hills in the Afan forest, with some of the most beautiful and undisturbed scenery around you reminded me of the adventure. The thrill of exploring. And how much more enjoyable running is when you aren’t pounding away on a pavement.
“If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.”
Christopher McDougall
The headspace these adventures provide me is incredible. Running on the road can send me to places I don’t want to go, especially if the run isn’t feeling good or my heart-rate is elevated. Granted, there are sessions where the consistent surface is important, but the steady stuff gives me a chance to explore. Exploration is freedom, and an opportunity to appreciate the world around me. To slow down. Enjoy time away from a phone, the news, or whatever else is consuming that day.
The trails have also improved my running. I’m able to run for longer because the taxation on joints and feet and shins is so much less. Knee and ankle stability will be improving, reducing the risk of injury. I don’t get back pain when I run anymore. And my speed on the flat is faster (when I want it to be…).
I’d already decided that I would take a step back from pure running races in 2020 (pre-Covid19). After years of racing with back pain in a boat, I didn’t want to face the same mental barriers in a new sport. Standing in pens waiting to start triggered my back; small events and triathlons were fine because there was either minimal standing time or 2 disciplines to warm it up… So, before all the races were cancelled or postponed, the pressure was off. Time to just enjoy being on my feet, no need to rush or push speed and distance unnecessarily.
Not every run is easy, often it just takes a couple of minutes to get the legs to relax into it and settle the breathing, but sometimes it does feel like a bit of a slog. They’re the runs that I take myself off to explore new places, finding motivation from the adventure and passing the time away from numbers. Early on in 2019 I would find my breathing quickening and stress levels increasing if a run didn’t feel as easy as expected, or I couldn’t find the speed, and seeds of doubt threatened to plant themselves. It was another reason for a break from racing. I get to relax into the easy stuff and forget about how fast I think I “should” be.
There wasn’t a huge amount of “point” to this post, apart from rambling through why I run and why I now love it. I’ll gather my thoughts for a Top Tips for not having a clue about running…
“I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days”
Ronald Rook
I am privileged to be able to step outside the front of my house and explore, free of worry, to benefit my mental and physical health.
Stay tuned for a few more running ramblings, and an insight into my all time favourite trainer brand – On.
I’m off out my front door x
Steph's Great Adventures 