Everyone Can Run!! - by Mona Purcell
A friend who was struggling with her weight once turned around to me and said "well your ok cos you are so lucky to love running"
I looked at her in amazement, slack jawed, "what do you mean, I can't stand it- some days I am nearly crying with the boredom and the boredom and the boredom of it all"
It was her turn to look at me amazed " so why on earth do you do it?"
I have always had a passion for sports but exciting sports-adventure sports such as windsurfing, kayaking and most of all horse riding especially the mental part that is cross country jumping! In other words sports that are so much fun that you want it to never end as opposed to counting each minute of torture.
So why do I run a minimum of 3 hours but often 5 hours a week.
If I was lucky enough to be able to do any of my favorite sports for 5 hours a week you can be sure I would be hard pushed to put my runners on ever again, however as a single mum, with a full time job life is a fairly hectic. Having just turned 40 and as a person who loves my food and my beer it is essential I exercise and so we come to the running.
The main reason I run is there are no excuses.
What I mean by this is nearly every other sport you can come up with a viable excuse as to why you cannot. For example a sport that needs more than one person, like squash or tennis requires just one of you to be having a lazy day and can convince you its probably a better idea to watch Greys Anatomy as there will certainly be some crucial medical advice that may one day save your life. Watersports can be notoriously frustrating. As someone who used to surf quite regularly I would be driven mad as the sea lay flat in front of me or as a very low skilled surfer that the massive waves were going to consume me for good. (I have friends of course who spend their entire time driving to the right beach to find the right wave, however I never had that passion)
Running works because it is just you and your guilt. It also works because with an initial investment into some of the now really excellent running gear available you can run in every single type of weather. I live in Connemara and have run in force 8 head winds that doubled the time of my run. This winter I felt like I should have had ice skates instead of my runners but I still managed to get out.
Running also works because no matter how you dread the run (and I drive everyone in the office to distraction as I moan for at least 30 mins before I go) afterwards you feel brilliant.
Running also works for someone like me as there is no surplus time around it. As in it takes me about 1 min to throw on my gear and I literally run from the front door. As I mentioned I am the mother of a gorgeous 2 year old so the only chance I have to run is during my lunch hour, but do not knock it till you try it.
Clearly you need to eat lunch so you need to have a job where you can eat a sandwich at your desk but you would be surprised how well you feel after running during your work day. I think we are all familiar with the post lunch head nod where the tuna baguette has entered your blood stream and caused such intense drowsiness that you find yourself drooling on your lap top. Well going for a run at lunch time does the exact opposite. It invigorates you and best of all, the meeting in the morning that left you reeling with anger has miracoulsly been reduced to a mere blip.
Also if you have any problems in work that you cannot find a solution to, you would be surprised how many knots unravel in your mind when you run.
I hear you asking about the unsavoury aroma you may have to inflict on your colleagues post run, well if you are lucky enough to have shower facilities a 2 minute shower is all it takes, if not get inventive with a hand basin!
No matter where you live you can run.
The best advice is to find a circular route, psychologically it is much easier to complete a run that is a circle rather than running to a point and returning.
Invest in decent gear. Go to a sports store and find an assistant that knows what they are talking about or keep reading this blog and we will give you some advice on what works best especially for adventure races.
DO NOT rely on a running partner. Fantastic if someone want to come running with you but have in in your head that you are running regardless and its a bonus if they come along.
If you are a new runner write to me mona@killary.com and I can give you advice that will start you off with out loosing interest or getting injured.
One more tip. I used to run after work and I found if I did not have my gear with me and I had to go home, I was lost, the sofa became a magnet. So Once I finished work I would go to the car and put on my gear, once the gear was on the guilt would have been to much to take it off without running.
I hope some of this helps. I never convinced my friend but then she is still in the same mad circle of crash dieting eating cabbage soup for a week and then giving up for a month. I'll take my running.