Running my way through a Pandemic

How I went from living like a couch potato to running 12 miles per week.

So I recently took up running as an additional way to spice up my exercise routine, after continuously feeling demotivated and not excited about my regular work outs. My normal workouts included varying kinds of cardio and body weight exercises, with a given number of repeats for each exercise for a defined number of sets, mainly drawing inspiration from social media fitness influencers.

My routines had always worked for me, they got the job done in terms of helping me break a sweat and feeling energized after. So they seemed a perfect way to go about keeping fit and healthy. But that sense of completeness did not last. After about 3 to 4 months of irregularity, I couldn’t event muster the energy to go through one set. Even the prospect of doing the same old thing ceased to excite me.

So I figured I needed to do something about this. It is worth mentioning that I am not what you may call a very fit person. But the little exercises I have done over the years, albeit irregular have helped me build a reasonable amount of endurance and fitness. Let’s just say I can afford to do an extreme work out once in a while without leaving my body feeling like a truck has run over me. That being said, I also understood that an occasional and random workout could not fulfill my long-term fitness goals. I knew I could afford to lose a few pounds and also that to continuously feel energized, I needed a consistent workout routine.

It is worth mentioning here that I had quite literally never run at all my entire life, the thought of running gave me a great amount of unease. I believe at some point it even became mental. I could not run even 100 meters without feeling extremely out of breath and thinking I would pass out the next minute. I had earlier in life come to a conclusion that maybe running was just not for me. However earlier this year, lockdown happened, and what happens when you suddenly have a lot of time on your hands that you never saw coming is that in that time you can do everything and anything.

So during lockdown I said I would do whatever as long as I was doing something. I did my first run in the neighborhood for about 1 mile and I was shocked to find that much as I could not go very far, I had actually run for more than just a 100 meters! The additional shocker was that I could actually afford to do more. At the back of my mind I knew my regular exercise had something to do with it, maybe they helped with building endurance but what I knew for sure is that I had to give this a shot again. Between the period of March and June this year, I believe I did two more runs not exceeding 2 miles. So obviously that was as irregular as they come.

After lockdown I was blessed to have a new job. This did not come without its own new schedule and also me trying to adjust into my new lifestyle. I could barely find the time to continue with my routine workouts let alone continue with a new daring one. I spent about 4 months trying to get into a regular workout routine and failing miserably, I no longer looked forward to my workouts (which I mostly did in the evenings) and coming back home late did not help matters.

My turning point was the 30th of August when I took part in the cancer run. I struggled so much to get through the 3 or so miles and I got another reawakening about how weak my body was. So I decided there and then that I would have to do everything in my power to make running my lifestyle. A friend had recently recommended an App by Adidas to help me track how much I walked but I was super delighted to find out it could also track runs.

So I did my first daring run on 11th October 2020. I decided I would use a slow but steady pace to help me build my way to getting better. That’s the best decision I made. I had just read a book called “The school of Greatness” by Lewis Howes where he makes a reference to running that goes, “It does not matter how slow you go, as long as you don’t stop.” So I gave my body a chance to adjust, running for 14 minutes per mile and letting my body work with a comfortable pace and then adjusting gradually. This has since helped me to adjust my non-runner body steadily to a point where 4 weeks later I can run 3 times per week at an average of 10 miles per week.

Without a doubt this is one of the best decisions I have made this year. Now I am in awe of myself and believe that now that I can muster running there is not a thing I can’t do. Also, have you heard of a runner’s high. I always finish every run with a sense of giddiness and pride that leaves me energized for the next day or week ahead.

And that is only a part of it. The adidas app has connected me to a group of runners where progress is shared and we take part in fun-filled challenges. I never believed that I could see a day where I could take lead in a running challenge. That’s why you can’t tell me nothing. I have no regrets about not taking up running sooner. I am just glad that now I run and only want to focus on seeing myself get better with every run and crushing several other challenges to a point where I’ll be just unrecognizable.

So the hardest point is to start, dare yourself to face your fears and challenge yourself to go one extra mile — pun very intended, to a point where you can sit back and watch your earlier fears disappear as you progress by a point every single run.