‘RUNNING HAS TRANSFORMED MY LIFE’
BEFORE LOCKDOWN, my experiences with running had been limited to sprinting for the bus or jogging to the Co-op for discount Ben & Jerry’s before closing. But in March, as my life of parties, after-parties and, well, after-after-parties became one of sitting in my rented flat in Hackney, I knew that my sanity – and that of my A&E doctor flatmate – depended on me getting out as much as the rules allowed. So I put on my trainers – usually worn only to take the bins out – and ran around the block. The next day, I ran two. The next, four. I downloaded a tracking app in the first week of April. Three months later, I have just recorded my 555th kilometre.
Honestly, I’m not quite sure how I went from being breathless walking up a few flights of stairs to doing a casual halfmarathon after clocking off at work. But after a few weeks of running for the length of two or three songs on my nostalgia-heavy Spotify playlist before taking a walk break, I realised that I didn’t need to any more. I would reach 5K and stop, before thinking, ‘Why? What’s at home? Do another five.’
Running clears my head completely, allowing me to process my problems and concerns during what I, like most of us, have found to be a difficult period for my mental health. I have discovered brand new pockets of London. I have fallen back in love with the river. I’ve been able to pay socially distanced visits to far-flung friends.
It’s changed my relationship with food and alcohol (you really don’t want to sink half a bottle of wine and a pizza when you’re fresh from the elation of a good run, or planning one the next day). Running has completely transformed my life.