It always seems impossible until it is done
Nelson Mandela
Exercising is part of my weekly routine. I go to the gym. I go for runs. I do yoga. I exercise mainly in groups, taking part in classes, or going to the gym with a friend. But I tend to run solo. It’s not that I don’t like running with people, but I tend to see running as a spontaneous thing. I can plan to go running on certain days, but when I go running during the day is a spontaneous decision. I can even decide to go running the next morning when lying in bed, staring at the ceiling waiting for Morpheus to take me in his arms. It’s a decision mostly made at the drop of a hat.
Every now and then though I take part in “races” or organised runs. Nothing extremely serious per se, no (semi-)marathon or iron man for me, good lord. For the second time this year I took part in the 10km Race for Life. And it was great. Not because of it’s super well organised (it is well organised though, don’t get me wrong), or for the prestige. It was fun to do it for the atmosphere. It felt good to be part of something bigger than yourself, several hundreds of people running for the same cause. I ran alone this year, alone surrounded by hundreds of others. In preparation for the race, I did up to 9km runs and even though I enjoy running, it felt incredibly long. I’m not particularly fast, true, so it takes me just over an hour to run 9km, but that hour felt like an eternity. I try to change my running routes every now and then to avoid monotony but I do end up running up and down the same places over and over again. On the day of the race, we ran alongside familiar places in an unfamiliar environment. On that day, people were alongside the running route, cheering us up; people were playing music; people were encouraging us to keep going. And in that moment, you really feel part of something more. Either you are raising money for charity or seeing it as a personal challenge, you feel like you belong to a community. On that day, I didn’t feel bored and the run was over before I realised.
One of the down sides of races, though, is that they require planning and usually a financial contribution. As much as I find it normal to have to contribute to the organisation of the race by paying an entry fee, it can be off-putting. I know, when you think about all the organisation going into a race, the entry fee is not that big of a price to pay and there are ways to get sponsors to participate in a race and all. I know all that. But it can be a bit too much for someone like me that go running out of the blue just because I feel like it. Moreover, I find taking part to races a bit stressful. Just like when I used to do drama, I get stage fright just before starting to run, in the time you are all gathered at the starting line, waiting for the go-ahead. In that moment, I feel stressed. What am I scared of? No idea. Still need to go to the toilet 3 times before getting in line. When you sign up for a race, whether or not you feel like it on the day, you have to run and there is no turning back at the starting line (I mean, no one is actually keeping you there but as much as you don’t want to be there, you don’t want to go either; you just want to run).
Despair not! To all the spontaneous, not-all-that-confident-still-figuring-it-out runners out there like me, I found something that gives the same sense of belonging than a big race, without all the planning ahead and financial strike: Parkrun. I first learn about Parkrun when I moved to England, and I signed up and got my personal barcode (absolutely free of charge) 4 years ago or so. But this week was the first time I actually took part (9am on a Saturday is not my usual starting time…). And I absolutely loved it. A fortunate combination of factors (mostly the promise of running with a wonderful dog!) made me come on that Saturday, and I’m glad I finally worked up the motivation to do it. I sprained my ankle 3 weeks ago and it was my first run since. No need to say I took it incredibly easy and I was able to do so because a friend stayed by my side and made it possible for me to run slowly. I have no doubt that on my own I would have been unable to sustain such a “slow” pace and would have probably ended up hurting myself more (I’m still figuring out listening to my brain a bit more sometimes…). The atmosphere was incredibly supportive, and it felt like a great community I definitely want to be part of. Part of why I liked it so much is that every type of runners was there: the very serious/very competitive ones that want to do their bestest time ever and beat everybody; the ones that use it as a regular training, keeping their pace steady throughout; the slow joggers; the ones that don’t hesitate to walk, take a breather, and go again; everybody is there. There is no judgement, only welcome faces along the way keeping you motivated. And there are dogs! Isn’t it the only reason to go? The humans are really nice, but the dogs make it even better!
I think I really liked it because it gives you a safe place to build up your practice. You can come whenever you feel like it, you can go to the pace you want, there are people around running alongside you or even with you. It is whatever you want it to be. And you get a rewarding feeling when crossing the finish line, a nice feeling of accomplishment because the only thing that matters is that you did it. You might even enjoy a runner’s high…
… if your genes allow you!
I talked before about the various benefits of running in particular and exercising in general. Some of my friends think I am crazy for enjoying the burn and “pain” coming with exercising and have no idea what I’m on about when I talk about feeling great after a workout. For them it is painful all along. A recent study showed that there is a genetic element to the affective response to exercising (i.e., how you feel during and after working out). The researchers found that the subjective experience to exercising can partially be explained by our gene pool and is heritable from our parents. It doesn’t explains it all, but it is one of the key elements to enjoying working out, enjoying the aches, experiencing a rewarding feeling afterwards. Similarly, not every runner experience the runner’s high (the feel-good mood you experience after a prolonged run). It could be interesting to know how many of the long-distance runners do experience the runner’s high and if being able to experience it is a predictive factor of whether you engage in prolonged run or not… Food for thoughts!
People that do exercise without experiencing any rewarding feelings most have an incredible discipline and a great control of their mind over their matter. Being able to overcome the unpleasantness of exercising, beating your genetic and focussing on rational reasons to exercise is rather impressive. Some “tricks” exist to help push through the unpleasantness of exercising: thinking about something else, focussing on the goal/rationalising why you’re doing it, working out with a friend (we are stronger together after all), or finding what works for you. You might not enjoy running… because running is not what you “should” be doing! High intensity trainings are not the only ones to provide results. Regular physical activity is good, whatever the activity is; it is important above all to find your own pace, listen to your body and respect your inner rhythm. Build up the intensity, find the intensity that works for you so you keep on exercising.
Start slow, be a turtle, bring a friend with you. Do what feels good for you.
________________________________________________
References
Comments