Why I run

Approximately 23.46 minutes ago I was a wreck. Moving countries, new job, new language and missing home had caught up with me. Four kilometres later I am a new woman. In reality I am a sweatier, less frustrated person than I was a quarter of an hour ago.

I took up running as a hobby approximately 5 years ago. I have always “been a runner”. I liked cross country in school and 100m sprints at athletics were always fun to me. Running is a sport that requires little money and time commitment. However, it does demand humility, dedication and an ability to self-regulate.

I think I took up running for the literal ability to “run away” from my problems. Putting one foot in front of the other, breathe at a pace quicker than walking and not fall requires you to actually think about your actions. You can't think about all your other problems. You have to let go when you’re running. People describe it as meditative; I think I achieve this state sometimes, listening to my feet hit in rhythm on the ground and breathing my deep yogi breaths. Then again sometimes I’m just struggling to keep a pace quicker than walking and trying to not look like I’m dying.

You can go for a run at any time, I think this is the appeal for me. I often run on dusk or even at night. Around 7.30-9pm. You get to see the sun set, no risk of getting burnt and generally less people around. Recently I have been running without my phone or music, it’s a chance for me to unplug from the world and just concentrate on me.

Running isn’t a glorious sport, rarely do people look amazing running- you're red faced and out of breath. It’s humbling and unassuming. I have massive respect for anyone who tells me they are a runner because I know how much dedication it takes. Running has great milestones that you can hit like other sports, your first 5km for example, however progression is often slow, comparison is the thief of joy and requires discipline.

Running requires you to remove pre-conceived notions that everyone is judging you. If you are in it to beat everyone else, you’re in the wrong race. Those in the competitive running community are elite, they’ll lap you in parkrun with their 3.30/km pace (that seems superhuman to me) and then go off for their latte, on a whole the running community is full of beautiful souls that just want to have a good time and are always up for a chat. Sidenote, my favourite people to run in to are the women who are part of Running Mums Australia. These are the nicest people you will meet on tracks and shoutout to the RMA MVP who gave me a snack and a pep talk to get up the giant hill in Bright last year, she honestly was the reason I finished that 1000m of evil vert.

A fantastic program called Parkrun is a great place to start if you want to give “that running thing” a try. Parkrun has spread throughout the world as a free 5km timed run and your barcode allows you to run in any parkrun and have a recorded time. It’s on Saturdays at 8am, get there about 7.45 for briefing. I recommend parkrun as it always collects every kind of runner and walker you can imagine and is inclusive rather than exclusive. It’s run by volunteers and will always have a selection of fitness levels. My local parkrun was always filled with people that would yell encouragement as they lapped you, I thought this was unique to our parkrun but last week I got a “good job” from one of those superhuman runners at Wanaka parkrun so apparently it transcends countries.

Parkrun is also great for demonstrating that running is different for every person. Over the years I have perfected how I like to run but no two runners will ever be the same, what works for me does not guarantee it will work for someone else. You will see a selection of gear, gaits and techniques for managing a run. You can also work out what works for you.

Running is hard. I find the first kilometer is always the worst. My body is trying to work out if it still can run. Somehow at about 800m it works out that it can breathe and hold pace at the same time and eases any pains that threaten to derail me. I have recently been plagued with some injuries. I will say running takes some self-awareness. Eating before running and being careful with knees, ankles and feet, especially if you are running on hard surfaces are prime examples of self-care.

While I say running isn’t expensive if you do think it might be “your thing” you may want to consider investing in a pair of decent running shoes that actually suit your gait and maybe a fitness tracker to measure your heart rate pace. These two things might keep you motivated. The right shoes will keep you comfy and add some preventative measures to common injuries and sometimes fitness trackers keep you motivated as you can see improvement in results. I currently run in the Brooks “Bedlam” for road running and the La Sportiva “Bushidos” for trail running. As for fitness trackers I own a Garmin Instinct because I managed to crack my Forerunner and this new watch appears to be relatively Simone-proof. This is expensive stuff, if you are just starting out Garmin and Fitbit both do relatively cheap trackers that just do simple tracking and have great support apps.

The other expense to running can be attending running events. I like these because they often give you access to somewhere cool and often come with a medal for finishing (turns out as an adult I’m motivated for a medal!) Expect 10km runs to be minimum $50, half marathons tend to sit in the $75 bracket and marathons often sit over $100. While some baulk at the price, the costing makes a lot of sense to me. It’s mostly public liability insurance and event costs. There is probably a good profit somewhere there however I notice most running gear companies sponsor races, clearly the profit margin is in the suckers like me who buy watches, gels, shoes and hats. I don’t mind this. I like the crowd these events draw, I often have aid stations during and at the end of the race and I like the places I have been because of these events. There is also a great sense of achievement finishing these races, you cross physical finish lines and running in a group often produces greater results than solo running.

If you haven't run before, start with small distances first, like 3 or 5km. Setting out for your first run to be a marathon is pretty ambitious. Even training for 10km takes time, there are some great resources in magazines and online if you want to do longer distances and need some guidance.

In the last few years I have stepped up my running, I run at an event at least once a month and I have paid to run the Queenstown marathon this year. Over the past year my proudest achievements would be the 10km Buffalo Stampede that almost killed me and my first half marathon in Phillip Island. I love parkruns, moving overseas I instantly had a running community that got me out of the house and Wanaka’s track is gorgeous.

For me running quietens my often-chaotic mind. I do get that “runners” high, it’s difficult for me to feel sad after going for a run, I feel lighter. I often think while running. During the week I replay work problems in my head and plan lessons for my class. Sometimes I plan blog posts or other writing ideas. Sometimes I just appreciate how beautiful it is where I live.

I appreciate running isn’t for everyone, but I hope this maybe inspires someone to get out and give it a go. Running sometimes feels like my saviour when I’m drowning mentally. The community that surrounds this sport are generally devoid of ego and love coffee, they were always destined to be my people.