ADHARANAND FINN
THE AUTHOR AND ULTRARUNNER ON THE POWER OF RW AND THE JOY OF GOING SLOW
WHEN I STARTED AT SECONDARY SCHOOL, we were ordered to do a cross-country run and, much to my surprise, I won. Soon after that, I joined the local running club, took it quite seriously and ended up running Nationals. I ran a bit for my university but didn’t do too well, as I wasn’t really training. Gradually, I just gave up.
RUNNER’S WORLD WAS INVOLVED IN KICK-STARTING MY RUNNING. I was 35 and wanted to get back into running, but had two small kids, so I didn’t feel I could justify the training. Then I saw RW did race reports. I was living in Somerset and there didn’t seem to be many race reports from the South West. So I contacted [commissioning editor] Kerry McCarthy and said,
‘How about getting some race reports in the South West?’ He said, ‘OK.’
That was the impetus I needed.
MY FAVOURITE PLACE TO RUN IN THE UK IS DARTMOOR. I know it well, so I can run without worrying about getting lost. I can also read the ground a bit better and avoid the bogs!
THE BIGGEST THINGS I LEARNED FROM RUNNING WITH THE KENYANS IS THAT IT’S OK TO RUN SLOWLY. Before going there, I thought I wasn’t a runner unless I was going out trying to kill myself. I came to realise that even top runners take their time on some of their runs. That was a revelation to me.
THE SWITCH I HAD TO MAKE WHEN GOING INTO ULTRARUNNING was thinking of it less as a kind of running exercise and more as an adventure. What ultrarunning offers you is a chance to explore something different: to get out into nature. You’re pushing yourself in a different way – not against the clock, but your own physical limits.
ULTRAS TAUGHT ME TWO THINGS ABOUT MYSELF, which are almost contradictory. One is I’m tougher than I thought I was. Growing up, I had the reputation within my family as the dreamy one. So to have come through those races, I kind of surprised myself. The other is that I’m more emotional than I thought. I kept getting massive highs and lows. What I noticed was that the best ultrarunners tend to be emotionally much more level.
I HAVE WON A FEW RACES. The one that stands out was the Powderham Castle 10K, the first race I won as an adult. But what made it so special was that my two daughters were there. When I crossed the line, the look of disbelief on their faces was amazing.
RUNNING IS NOW MY LIVELIHOOD, which was never the plan, but I’m very happy about that because I love it.
The space it gives me to get out and be unconnected for a few hours, that’s what I find most appealing about running these days. Perhaps that’s why I’m getting more into trail running.
I REALLY WANT TO TRY THE NIKE VAPORFLY 4%. My plan is to run one last marathon PB before sailing off into the distance of relaxed, happy trail running. But if I beat my previous best by one minute in those shoes, is it actually a better time?
‘Running is now my livelihood. I’m very happy about that because I
love it.’