25. Blogs and Jogs... and Walks (Part 2)

In the last post, you may (or more likely, may not) remember that we established a few things.

Pineapples on pizzas are fine, gherkins absolutely belong in burgers, and Cristiano Ronaldo beats Lionel Messi as the footballing GOAT.

OK, I appreciate that a couple of these may be on the more contentious side, though slightly less controversially, we also looked at some of the health benefits of exercise. More specifically, walking. If you’ve got a spare 4 minutes or so then feel free to check it out. If you don’t, or just can’t really be bothered, then the summary is: I like walking and I think it’s good for us.

And I’m not alone, it was Mahatma Gandhi who claimed that walking was “The Prince of exercises”.

I'm also a believer that running belongs in this particular Royal Family of exercise. Which, in Part 2/2 of our walking/running series, is our focus today.

To start by stating the obvious, running tends to be much harder than walking. And rather annoyingly, it also comes with quite a few other downsides.

If we’ve just started running, the first few we go on are awful. We can’t go anywhere far, and certainly not fast. Afterwards, the body’s in bits and the ego’s in tatters.

And if we do run frequently, then the chances of getting injured are pretty high. This is by far the most frustrating part of running (and probably exercise in general).

To get injured, it's likely that we'd have had to have been going consistently enough to incur that level of wear and tear.

And by definition of having been going consistently, it’s also likely that we’d have seen some real progress. Progress in any area of life tends to feel good, and keeps us motivated. So when these injuries occur, and it feels like all our hard work has gone down the pan, it can be a right pain in the arse. Or knees. Or shins. Or hips. Or calves. Or achilles. It can feel like, quite literally, one step forward and two steps back.

So why on earth even bother?

Well, even though running may not be for everyone, I believe that the upsides far outweigh the downsides.

My main form of exercise before lockdown was weight training. I still enjoy it, but noticed one key difference between the two. When lifting weights, there’s that break between sets. When out for a run, there isn’t. We’re under constant tension.

I mentioned in the last post that I can find excessive downtime to be a breeding ground for negative thoughts and harsh self-criticism. I can occasionally find that rest period in-between sets to be exactly that.

Especially as, personally speaking, a key driver behind lifting weights has often been insecurity led. I’ve found this break between sets to be an annoyingly ample time for shining a light on said insecurities, and obsessing about them. Safe to say, that’s never the funnest of places to be in.

Of course, that can still be a thing when out for a run, but I’ve found that the constant exertion that comes with running means that it’s less prominent. We’re more focused (or distracted!) and it can help keep those mental demons at bay. It can be quite meditative in that regard.

What helps enhance this meditative state is the various biochemical substances our body releases when running. I’ll leave the science to someone who actually knows what they’re talking about, but exercise has been shown to blunt the brain’s response to physical and emotional stress. This is more commonly known as ‘runner’s high’. Which feels glorious, and is one of the most addictive things about this particular form of exercise.

However, what I’ve found to be more addictive than this, is how clear and measurable it is to track progress.

If we’ve got some sort of tracking device, we know exactly how far we’ve run and how fast we’ve done it. Naturally, being the overly competitive sh...pecies that we are, it can be incredibly motivating to try and beat our best time/distance, and even more rewarding when we do.

Of course, the danger of this is becoming obsessive about the data at the detriment of the enjoyment. Instead of being proud that we’ve run a certain distance, we can be annoyed that we didn’t do it as quickly as last time.

It’s an ongoing process to hit that healthy balance, but it feels bloody good when we do.

It can also be a very sociable thing, which isn’t something I necessarily associated it with a couple of years ago. Run chats are good chats. I think there’s something about the lack of distraction, actively moving the body, and the single minded focus of it that really helps facilitate deep conversation. As such, I’ve found that this odd (but lovely!) bond can be made with people when we go for a run with them.

I suppose it’s something that we see more broadly in life, a connection with someone when we go through something challenging together. I love that.

Though as I say, there are downsides. And as I write, I'm, rather aptly, managing a few niggles.

I've ran a handful of half marathons over the past couple of months (that's more for context as opposed to a flex, promise!) and in hindsight, it's possibly been a case of over-exertion. In that time I've had to deal with a whole host of shin, achilles, calf and knee issues, which has been a bit demoralising.

So I’m now planning on putting running slightly on the back burner for the foreseeable (and focusing on other types of exercise) with the hope that this reduction in volume will help with recovery... and being to walk again without some sort of injury-induced limp.

However, despite these very frustrating downsides, I can’t speak highly enough of the positive benefits. I’ve genuinely found it to be one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done. And not just because the calories burned allows me to justify eating ludicrous amounts of Haribo Tangfastics and Barny Bars.

To go full circle back to a point made in the previous post, there’s probably not one form of exercise that’s for all of us. Naturally, we all enjoy different things and all have different goals, so it’s basically impossible to make a general recommendation on the optimal workout routine for everyone.

But having massively benefitted from walking and running over the past couple of years, I thought I'd share some musings on these, and give them both a big old shout out.

And on that, once I’ve digested my gherkin filled burger, I think I may go and put my Ronaldo shirt on and head out for a stroll.