It is not very often these days that I go on a run and it just clicks. But when it does, god it is such a good feeling. I had one this week, and maybe, just maybe, it can be the spark to help me out of this period where I have been toiling.
The thing is, I have no real understanding of why it clicked; why it felt like I could run forever, could push myself quicker, could ignore the headwind. But maybe that is just one of the mysteries of running. If it clicks and works then do not question it, just go with it.
I so needed something like that to happen. As I have mentioned recently, my running has felt such a struggle in recent weeks and months. Tired legs, heavy legs, negative thoughts, have really permeated my thinking – with the occasional high point of races – and been quite dispiriting. This is dumb, I know, for something which is merely a hobby and should be something which brings joy into my life, but it is a reflection of just how I have been feeling.
“I just felt better and better”
The run itself was an early morning one with a couple of friends – Maxine and Cara – on a stunning day around the beach area of Aberdeen. We enjoyed a good chat, and while in the first mile or so, I did feel a bit out of breath as we were talking, as we built into the run, I just felt better and better. We were not particularly pushing it for pace or anything like that, it was a comfortable run for all of us, but it was the absence of pain in my legs, that feeling of strength as we went on, that enjoyment of the moment (rather than wishing for it to end) which was so good. It also helped that we bumped into other friends from our JogScotland group and it was great to see them too.
It really made me think about how things can turn round. One thing I learned in management a while back was to play the long game. Things change. Nothing stays the same. To try and take a longer term view than what is right in front of you and to step back at times and just think. A valuable lesson that perhaps I had forgotten.
It came at the end of a week which really brought back so many memories for me – memories of how life was like before everything got turned upside down in early 2020 – as I made my first work trip to Europe since the early days of the pandemic. And more than that, I ran in the place I visited and I met and ran with a colleague in person for the first time.
It is crazy to say that I have worked with Anna for almost three years and through that time had probably spoken to her on a daily basis, but we had never met in person. We live at different ends of the UK, so it was not as if we were ever just going to casually bump into each other, but under normal circumstances, with our jobs, we would have been expected to meet up at some point. I am sure this is something which many of us can identify with over the past couple of years. Perhaps it is now simply a feature of working life and distributed teams with many working from home.
“a run was high on the agenda”
When we ere told that we were going to visit Stockholm on a work trip, then getting out together for a run was high on the agenda. I have been fortunate to visit Stockholm before and it is a lovely city in which to run, but this time I was staying in a different part of the city to where I had been before and that gave us even more reason to go out and explore.
Stockhom is surrounded by water and has many islands, so the hotel we were staying at was a short distance from one of the rivers, and we took advantage to run down there. We ran a couple of times and I ran on my own once around the area with a small marina on the river and round parts of the historic city. We got slightly lost (a common problem for me if you read this blog!) but that only added to the pleasure of running in each other’s company. I have run with quite a few colleagues from work over the years, and it definitely adds a lot to a work trip and gives it another dimension. It is not all about the stuff you do in the office from 9am to 6pm.
Again, it was not about how fast we ran, how far we ran. It is about the shared experience of running. It is that space to decompress after a long day traveling or a stressful day or just a chance to get outside after hours in meeting rooms or in an office. Traveling for work is not a holiday, but by building running into the trip, it certainly helps make it a more enjoyable experience overall. Plus it is a chance to get to know your colleagues a bit better too. I certainly hope it is not another three years until we get the chance to run together again!
Staying on a positive front, I got a new medal hanger this week. Not because I have new medals to hang up, but I wanted to get a hanger on which I could put up solely my half marathon finisher’s medals. I already have one for my marathon medals and wanted to do something to highlight the runs over what is probably my favourite distance.
I have done ten half marathons, though there are only nine medals. For the life of me, I cannot find my medal from my first half marathon – the Great North Run in 2003. I am convinced it is in the house somewhere – there is no way I would have got rid of it as I have my other medals from around that time – but I just cannot locate it. If/when I do, it will take its place among the rest. I know these are not valuable in monetary terms, but to me these medals are special and I think it is worth making the effort to celebrate and remember the effort which went into every one.
This week is another one with travel. I am going to New York for a short business trip and am already planning to run in Central Park as I am staying nearby. This will be a more relaxed run than my last one in March when I did the New York Half Marathon – the medal for which you can see above – but it may still be challenging. The reason? The weather in New York is forecast to be around 33C (90F) for the three days I am going to be there. So I think a short, slow 5k may be more on the cards or at least a run in the early morning before it gets too grim.
I cannot really believe how much more positive I feel this week compared to the last little while. I just hope it lasts.