Let’s Talk About: Running

As some of you may know throughout September I dedicated my time to 60 miles for charity and it’s certainly opened up my eyes to a world of cardio I was never really on board with! But here we are 30 odd days later and I’m wondering what I’m going to do without my daily outings, as wet and miserable as some of them have been, especially the last week! But what has running religiously really done for me?…

 

What Did I Learn From Running?

 

Track Everything

 

Well firstly it gave me a new level of discipline, since lockdown I have really struggled with my discipline in training (no lies here guys only honesty). I have eaten as and when, not tracked my food, hardly progressed my workouts, I fell into a rut and this absolutely sorted my shit out! So it goes to show that even as someone who knows the ins and outs of the fitness industry and knows how to program and how to eat without discipline there is not hope for any of us.

 

Warm Up and Cool Down

 

The next thing I learned is the full importance of warm ups, cool downs, good trainers, a good playlist  and the ungodly painful pleasure that is foam rolling! My calves and hamstrings have always been tight but holy crap it did get worse running daily, I foam rolled everything and it took me far too long to get one, if you run, get one it will make everything feel better.

So far I’m feeling this is a bit negative so let’s get some positives in! 

 

Time to Myself

 

Running gave me peace of mind, taking 30-60 minutes a day to myself just to focus on my breathing and myself helped clear my mind of life and work worries which lead to my sleep improving and feeling more energy. I proved to myself I can do something outside of weight lifting. That determination to reach the miles target, to get that little gold medal on Strava, to improve my pace, to go further. I went from a non runner at barely 1 mile and out of breath, walking big chunks to 3 miles in 4 weeks. Do I need to stop and walk still? Sometimes yes, do I see shame in that no! As with all things your body must adjust, will everyones adjustments look the same, nope! Is there people out there who can run further and faster than me, of course there are but you know what? They don’t matter. 

 

It's Me Against Myself

 

This wasn’t about being the fastest or the best, it was about making a change, challenging myself and raising money for a fantastic charity. So I guess the question everyone wants to know is, will I continue running? The answer is yes. 

 

My Final Thoughts

 

It was hard, it was grueling some days, my body ached and I am taking this week to rest and recover, but as of next week I’ll be back at it. I’ve committed to running twice a week going forward. It’s going to improve my cardiovascular health and we need to look after our hearts, but it will also improve my weight training. I’m back, it’s all up from here.