Running

Since leaving the UK I've been really missing running outside in the early mornings and park runs. But January was great for a new start and setting myself a challenge with RED January that I never imagined I'd actually achieve. My goal was to run 5km every day and I did it! Because I sometimes ran a bit longer I ran in total 165 km in January. It was amazing seeing how the habit formed and sometimes the last thing I wanted to do was run but in my head there was absolutely no choice- however late it meant I had to go to bed! I am so thankful for our treadmill- I came to agree with Vassos Alexander in his brilliant book Don't Stop Me Now when he says,

Gradually, ever so slowly, week by week, month by month, I stopped viewing the treadmill as the circle of hell that Dante had inexplicably forgotten to mention

and it became my friend! I was thankful for enough electricity in the evenings to be able to use it and for how running 5k became easier over the month and my personal best kept getting better! I set myself the rule that I could only watch Netflix when I was on the treadmill as an incentive to do it and also listened to running podcasts: Free Weekly Timed: Parkrun podcast and runpod and music.

It was also great to get the whole family involved with RED January and we had our RED January door where we had our charts and recorded our activity. Some of us did better than others, but it was actually useful seeing how easy it is not to do any physical activity. I noticed how much the children got into my January 5k challenge and were huge encouragers. It made me realise how important it is to set good examples even in physical exercise to our children. This was confirmed when I read this in Louise Minchin's book, Dare to Tri, about becoming a triathlete:

When my triathlon adventure first began, I read some research about girls and their participation in sport, published by Sport England. Their findings showed that when a mother participated in weekly sport, their daughters were much more likely to participate in sport too. I was struck by the fact that it was the mums being active, and not the dads, that seemed to make the difference.

The research had a profound impact on me. I really wanted my daughters to avoid the mistake I had made, and deeply regret, giving up sport in my teenage years. The research showed me that my example could have a direct impact on their decisions. If I wanted to encourage them to continue with sport as part of their life, it had to be part of mine. I had to lead by example. I had to get up and get out there to show them that sport isn’t something that only dads or boys do. It’s something we can all do.

 

J and I also managed to get out of the city for a run in the rain and mud- it was glorious! J cycled and I ran/squelched!

And we made the most of being away for a few days in the mountains to run and cycle outside in the mornings in the most glorious setting:

I have really enjoyed reading these two books by non-runners who turned into slightly obsessive runners a little later in life. I like how Alexander Vassos' book has each chapter split into three parts: 1. recounting the marathon of his first ironman race 2. discussing an aspect of running from park runs to music to marathon locations 3. a runner - some professional athletes like Paula Radcliffe some not well known- write about their running journey.

Relishing the virtuous aftermath, that’s the easy bit, it’s instantaneous. As I never tire of telling anyone who’ll listen – you never regret a run. But when do you start enjoying them?

*****

The greatest distance runner of all time, Haile Gebrselassie, had a kink in his technique, a crooked left elbow, which was a legacy of his childhood in Ethiopia where he used to run six miles to and from school every day carrying his textbooks under his arm.

Louise Minchin- BBC Breakfast presenter- fell into triathlon unexpectedly in her 40s and ended up representing Great Britain at various events. I loved her book!

Try as I might, I can never find the perfect English word to describe what motivates me, but there is a perfect one in Spanish: voluntad. Literally, it means willpower. The way the Spanish tend to use it, I think it translates better as ‘wanting to do it’. In my mind, voluntad means you can do anything you set your mind to, without having to push other people out of the way. Voluntad, as I see it, is a positive and powerful mix of determination, focus and drive.