Isolation made me a runner
I’ve always been someone who’s admired runners. I’ve always wanted to be that kind of person.
Yet everytime I try I either feel too awkward thinking someone I know will see more or my family will think I’m weird, or it’s just too hard!
I’ve tried to combat this a few times by buying cute new activewear or even buying specific running shoes (this one actually helped, I got the Nike joyrides and I’m obsessed) You can buy them for yourself here — https://go.magik.ly/ml/uljk/
But after purchasing these shoes, I went for one short run, out of breath I put them away and didn’t pick them up again for a month.
Fast forward to that month, the world has gone absolutely crazy, hello Covid-19. I have been self isolating for just over 2 weeks as I’m writing this post and I finally get why my dog loves walks so much because it feels amazing to get outside.
After having the Nike Run Club app downloaded on my phone for at least a year, I finally opened it up determined to actually run.
I did a normal tracked run. This was alright, it was fun hearing ‘1km’ spoken in your ear as you know you’ve hit your first decent distance but it still wasn’t what I needed to be completely motivated to keep this up.
The next day I tried again but this time I did a guided run and OH MY GOD was this a game changer. The entire run you have the Nike running global head coach in your ear every step of the way. He’s telling you that it’s okay to run slow, that you’re a total badass for even doing this run and it is the most motivating and inspiring thing I’ve ever done in terms of fitness. Before I knew it I had ‘run’ my entire first guided run. Now I put ‘run’ in quotation marks because obviously I had to stop and walk throughout this run because hello, I’m just starting out here.
After finishing this run I felt so accomplished and surprisingly excited to do it all again tomorrow.
2 weeks into isolation this is what my stats are looking like.
Yes, 25kms might not seem like much to some, heck it isn’t even a marathon but it’s something I never thought I’d be able to do. Especially only being over 8 runs.
At this point I know this sounds like an add for Nike Run Club, unfortunatly it’s not… that would be amazing but I want to talk about this app for just a little bit longer.
One of my favourite things is the variety of different guided runs available to you, from short runs, long runs to speed runs. Speed runs are my new favourite too, this involves changing your speed for certain amounts of time, such as running a mile pace for 45 seconds followed by your 5k pace for 1 minute and so on. All the while being guided by the Coach and feeling like a badass athlete, despite being exhausted and out of breath :)
So basically, self isolation has turned me into the runner I always knew I could be. It’s gotten me out of the house in a time when we’re all spending long periods of time stuck inside and it’s getting me fitter and stronger with every step. Especially with bootcamps shut down because I need to get my workout in somehow!
So whether you download Nike Run Club (which if you do, let’s be friends and challenge each other!) or just go for your first run, get out of the house and do something for yourself in this time of uncertainty. Go for a run, take your mind off things and end it feeling like a better version of yourself.
