Why I run…the reflection edition

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Just a quick one today. Too long for an Instagram post so I thought I’d bash it out on here.

Post run last night I was being all reflective, as one is doing quite a bit lately. My love for running has returned, and it’s got me wondering if the reasons I run now are still the same as when I started (this is when I’m glad I’ve documented my journey so much). So today I delved into the archives of my blog posts and such and went right the way back to August 2018; the month I ran my first 10k race. Over a month before I’d consider tackling a half marathon just four days away!

Way back in 2018 my main focus was on my mental health. I was running because it gave me clarity and I felt free from the stresses of everyday life while I was pounding the pavements. Fast forward two years and while I still enjoy the freedom running gives me, I get so much more from getting out and about.

These days running, and indeed fitness in general, has become my social life too. I have made so many friends and met some very interesting people as a result of being brave enough to embark on this journey. I’ve connected with people up and down the country and experienced things I could never have imagined, let alone thought possible.

These days running isn’t just for my mental health, it’s for my whole health. My well being. My social life. My ability to know I can achieve more than I think I can. To connect with like minded people. To inspire. FOR ENJOYMENT!

Whilst I no longer mentally tick the box that just says runner (I’m so much more), I still enjoy running, but in a much more wholesome way now.

Why do you run or train? What has is done for you? Let me know

I’ve attached the post from 2 years ago below for your reading pleasure.

https://irun.wales/news/whyirun-makes-better-person/

Strong Not Skinny

Exercise is a funny thing isn’t it? We’re told we need to do it, we know it’s good for us but it can take a great deal of effort to actually get up and get started.

12 months ago my running journey was progressing well. I’d completed the Couch to 5k programme, taken on Race For Life Pretty Muddy 5k, I’d smashed two 10k races and was feeling a tinge of regret that I hadn’t signed up for the Cardiff Half Marathon. I realised that I needed a new challenge, one that would work along side running. I was losing weight as a result of my new found hobby (which of course was great) but it was coming from my shoulders and waist. I lost weight a few years ago with the help of a well known slimming club…then put it all back on and then some. I was so pleased when I “called target” but looking back at pictures I no longer liked what I saw. I was skinny. I was bony and it wasn’t a look I wanted again so I decided that joining a gym was a good idea. I wanted to be strong, not skinny.

So off I went to the gym. I won’t bore you with all the details but I was pretty much hooked straight away. Way back at the start of summer 2018 a someone told me that I should try weights, he’d insisted I’d love it. I just laughed at the thought, “Me? In the gym training and lifting weights? If you say so.”

Now though, I was loving the classes, the social aspect, the feeling of pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I quickly settled into a routine of running and training and  literally went from strength to strength.

The affect it had on my mental health were almost instant, and it wasn’t long before I started seeing physical effects of training. The more I trained, the better I felt but getting the right balance between running and training at the gym was proving difficult. I’d been running 3 times a week for months and was finding it a struggle to still do that and go to the classes I wanted to. I had to rethink my routine. I realised that it was ok not to run the usual 3 times a week as long as I was training as well. I think the trick is to find what suits you. What works for your friend might not necessarily work for you. It depends on your goals and, for me at least, what I enjoy.

Every now and then I’m amazed that I still have the ability shock myself. Usually it’s by saying something without engaging my brain, resulting in something suitably random escaping my lips but that’s a whole other subject.
Today it was while I was at Shred. Standing in the studio training in front of the wall-to-wall mirrors I saw a woman whose figure I was envious of, one I was striving to achieve. She looked strong, confident and focused. That woman was me! It struck me that while I’ve seen my body changing shape this past year or so I’m suddenly at a point where I pretty much have the body I’ve been working towards. What’s more is that I’ve had an absolute blast getting here. I haven’t stressed over calories, I’ve just been wise about food choices. If I’ve wanted a pizza or a greasy burger, then I’ve had one, but not everyday. Am I perfect? No. Do I still have hang ups? Yes. But, am I happy and healthy? Abso-fricking-lutely!