How I got into running

I’ve been running around the world. I don’t mean just figuratively, i.e. travelling, but literally too. Arrive in a new place, put running shoes on, go for a run.

I love running but didn’t always. I’d tried a few times in my twenties, giving up after a few weeks each time. Conditioning is a factor. Getting the body used to running. It’s physiological change that takes time. I could never stick at it long enough to get past the threshold beyond which running enjoyment lies. So just a lot of huffing, puffing and straining legs.

I started running properly in 2017. Got past that threshold and have run consistently since, about three times a week

I was 35. Not in terrible shape but also not very active either. Walked a lot but otherwise wasn’t doing any other exercise and had a fairly sedentary lifestyle, although I rarely sat still for more than 30 minutes at a time. I’d done a bit of weight training with free weights on and off over the years but otherwise wasn’t all that into fitness. I’d struggled with my weight through my teens and twenties, some body dysmorphia, binge eating and crash diets, yo-yoing between overweight and underweight. But that had all stabiltied by my thirties.

My partner at the time had caught the running bug. We did a few runs together. I could go about 15 minutes. Ran around Vincent Square, close to where I was in Pimlico. Three times around the square was about 2.5km. A good starting point.

I was working by St James Park and a colleague was also getting into running. So we decided to go for lunchtime runs in the park. 30 minutes at a gentle pace so we could chat. Time passed quickly, talking was a good distraction from straining legs. Couple of months of this and I found I could comfortably run 5km and enjoy it too. I’d become a runner!

Signed up for my first 5km race. Hackney on a sunny Sunday in August 2017.

I felt like I’d discovered a secret that had been in plain sight all this time. I could run everyday and eat whatever I wanted! The best part, this wasn’t “exercise”, it was something I enjoyed and looked forward to.

I’ve heard the same from many new runners, and like a lot of them I was headed into trouble. I started running most days of the week. Going farther and faster. That lasted a few weeks until my ankles were sore. Really sore. Even while walking. Achilles tendinitis. So I eased off and rested a few days. Tried again. Soreness returned within minutes. I had put too much strain on my Achilles tendons and calves. Too far and too fast too quickly. This was frustrating and the pain wouldn’t subside. It was tolerable while walking but not for running. I felt robbed. I’d discovered the “runner’s high”, that heady mix of endorphins and dopamine, and was now suddenly cut off.

I got referred to a physiotherapist. He explained that I needed to strengthen my ankles and calves and gave me a regimen of stepping exercises. One leg at a time, adding some resistance gradually (weights in a backpack). I’d started doing free weights again three times a week so mixed these exercises into my routine. I didn’t run except for short test runs once a week to see how I was healing. Took about two months before the soreness was completely gone.

Getting back to running I was more careful. Distance, pace, how I planted my feet. I got better at paying attention to my body. I worked up to three 5km runs a week. On Sundays I gradually increased distance until I could run 10km. That was a big milestone. My favourite route took me from Pimlico, down to Battersea Bridge, over and down to the bottom of Battersea Park, to Lambeth Bridge via Vauxhall and then back to Pimlico via Millbank. Stunning views, even for a lifelong Londoner like me.

That would be my routine for the next few years. Tuesday and Thursday after work and Sunday mornings.

In 2019 I was in New York for a week and ran in Central Park, Got a great time for my 10km, except it ended up being just shy of an actual 10km.

I’d got some good running shoes by this point. Had been to a specialist shop and had a gait analysis done. Turns out I was underpronating (feet rolling outward on impact) so shoes which helped stabilise this were needed to avoid injury.

From then on my running was fairly consistent but no pushing to get faster. An average pace of around 5:30/km. 26–27 minutes for 5km, around 55 minutes for 10km. Occasional problems along the way. Achilles would flare up now and then, I would slow down or skip a run. That always felt wrong, running had become such a part of my lifestyle and not running on a run day would be like going to bed without brushing my teeth.

I developed other problems. Plantar fasciitis and then Iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). My earlier experience with Achilles tendinitis had taught me to be prudent, if I wanted to keep running then rest and recovery were crucial. Took steps to remedy. For plantar fasciitis some stretching of the foot. For ITBS some lateral leg raises, with added resistance to strengthen the legs. Foam rolling was also an important part of all this. Stretching too, although I still need to be better at this.

It takes work and maintenance to keep running.

By 2020 and the start of the lockdowns I’d dropped down to one run a week due to some work pressures. Maintaining a baseline of around 7km. As lockdowns eased I started running with the same old colleague from the St James Park days. We both worked in different places now but lived locally.

By 2022 I was back to running three times a week again, up to 10km. A friend mentioned the Royal Parks Half Marathon so I signed up. I’d never run more than 10km before. This would be 21km! Decided to fundraise and picked Mind the mental health charity. I have bouts of depression so mental health is something that is very important to me. Running really helps. Managed to hit my fundraising target within a few days.

Followed a training programme over three months and got myself up to half marathon fitness. Went on a little weeklong trip to Gran Canaria during this and got a couple of runs in there too.

Race day came around and there was a great atmosphere in Hyde Park. Completed in just under two hours. Very happy with the result.

This was a big boost to my mental health. 2022 had been a tough year. Coming out of multiple lockdowns. End of a relationship. Burnout. Resigning from my job.

Late 2022 I decided to leave London and go on an open ended trip around the world. Walk the earth. Run the earth even! My running shoes were coming with me. I’d use running to explore new places and stay fit on the road. I liked the idea of getting somewhere new and going for a “run/explore.” I’ll cover the places I’ve run in a follow up post. Some places are easier than others!

So after six years running is a part of my lifestyle. A part of who I am now. One of the reasons I love it is because I’m lazy. No really. No special equipment needed, just a good pair of running shoes. No need to “go anywhere”, just go out the front door. Running is easy, freeing and fun. It’s good for mental and physical health. Once you get past that conditioning threshold.

Maintaining a baseline of running 10km comfortably is important to me. I now consistently run 10km twice a week, along with a shorter run or two. When 10km becomes uncomfortable it’s a sign that I’ve let myself go somewhere. That would be diet and nutrition. So running is an early warning system for indulgence gone too far. It helps me regulate. If I can’t enjoy my long runs then I’m obviously not taking care of myself. With age I am becoming more sensitive to the effects of good vs. poor diet and nutrition.

Long runs have other benefits. Running beyond 10km I find myself entering an almost trance like state. Flow. Meditative. Slipping into an adjacent reality. Location, surroundings and people become shadows. My reality is a bubble centred on me. There is no sense of time. My body floating above the ground. No effort, no sense of willing my legs to run. They run. They have always run. They always will.

I am a runner. I live to run. I run to live.

I hope others have a chance to discover this too. Or you may already have found similar in another activity. Wonderful. If this isn’t the joy of existence then I don’t know what is.

How long that state lasts depends on stamina and endurance. That window can be increased with training.

As of this writing my last long run was 17m and a few weeks ago I got a 10km personal best of 47:22, 4:44/km pace.

You can find me on Strava here.

My legs are looking pretty good.