Run, Rabbitt, Run

"Is it the world that's busy, or is it my mind?" - Haemin Sunim, 'The Things You Can See When You Slow Down' My local park overrun with dandelions The thing I enjoy about running rather than, for example, going to the gym or swimming is that I get to do it outside.  Walking is another thing I love to do; running but slower! We notice more when we slow down.  Walking provides headspace.  I know many people try but it's pretty tricky to look at your mobile phone while walking, walking takes you away from distractions. I live in the 'burbs, there are a few parks but none that are even big enough to host a Parkrun.  I can run around my local park in five minutes.  I still love that little park though.  It's funny what you can find when you become an intrepid explorer though.  Sometimes following a sign that says 'public footpath' can send you on an adventure. I prefer to leave my car and walk if it's feasible.  Today I did an 8km rou...

"Running is amazing.  The best medicine.  Go running.  Run really really fast.  Run until everything hurts.  Run until water feels like heaven." Matt Haig I can link running to mental health all day long but this morning I was specifically thinking about self confidence.  One of the issues I've always had with sporting pursuits is the feeling that people are looking at me.  I'm an introvert, I've always been shy and have never liked being centre of attention.  So that notion of putting myself out there to be seen just seemed ridiculous.  Whether I'm afraid of making a fool of myself, afraid of what people will think, afraid of letting myself down; all these things and more I suppose.  In the back of my mind I know no one is looking at me and thinking anything negative and even if they did it would be their problem not mine. This is how much I hate being watched and failing... I was in France last year on holiday with my partner, my...

I generally run alone, I enjoy the solitary pursuit.  I'm not particularly competitive, I'm not keen on comparing myself to others since I already lack self-esteem! I don't want to (or sometimes can't) chat as I run, I don't necessarily want to keep someone else's pace.  Running is a great form of exercise for us anti-social buggers. That said, I can see the benefits of running with others.  I do like to run with my significant other as I tend to push myself that little bit more, I'm not sure why; a slight competitive streak, a need to show him that I'm capable, wanting to get to the end so we can have an alcoholic beverage, who knows. I like to meet other runners when I'm out too: that breathless greeting, grimacing smile, mutual appreciation of the effort that we're putting in, that nod that says 'good job, keep it up.' I also love being in that club of runners that welcomes everyone.  My cousin who is the same age as me and has r...

There are many reasons to exercise but one that I've been reading up on a lot lately is mental health.  It resonates with me because running definitely helps my mental health.  It's about a year since I was on a stress management course after self-referring myself to IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) on my GPs recommendation.  I thought I had asthma, it turns out I was having panic attacks.  My mind was under so much stress that my body couldn't take the pressure.  I couldn't do a spin class without feeling like I was dying because my body couldn't cope with the added stress.  My GP banned me from spin classes, offered me anti-anxiety medication and I trotted off to the stress course.  It was all helpful but I truly believe that running, although it provides me with moments of despair, is one of the things that keeps me sane. So that's why Rachel's book appealed to me.  With a strapline of 'How I built a better me one step at a ...

I didn't start this blog as a place to marry two of my favourite things - running and reading - however that's the way it's naturally going as I'm learning about running in my typical way of reading everything about a subject. I keep thinking about sub-categories of running books.  I gravitate towards the ones written by women about their experiences of starting from non-runner and building up to serious running.  I have a stack of books about technique and ones about hardcore/professional runners.  I'm on my second reading of the fab The End of the World Running Club which is fiction.  Phil Hewitt probably slots into the first category but the book provides a different experience because, obviously, he's male.  Different issues (bleeding nipples, eeek) but also a different approach to running.  A manly approach maybe.  Phil's is a tale of tenacity, determination and ambition. As he goes from marathon to marathon he is constantly searching for that...

"Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life - and for me, for writing as well." Murakami's running memoir is a delight to read, it flows so beautifully and sets a scene so perfectly. Murakami started running after selling his jazz bar to write full time and realising he needed a way to stay active.  This book follows his running journey through training for and taking part in numerous marathons and triathlons but centres around his training for the 2005 New York Marathon.  The book is a jumble of memoir, travel writing, training log and personal thoughts that somehow works perfectly.  Whether you are a fan of good writing and Murakami's fiction or a runner in need of inspiration and advice this book covers it all.  His everyday observations of everything from the changing of the seasons to the dead animals he encounters on his runs open your eyes to the world that you can explore whe...