Running

Ten months ago, I couldn’t run a 5k without having to stop and walk. It wasn’t even my fitness that was the barrier. My legs would hurt so much as the muscles were really tight. I would start running, and within about 500 metres be in so much discomfort I didn’t want to carry on. I’m not saying my fitness was perfect because it really wasn’t. But it wasn’t the only issue.

When I moved to Brighton, I committed to going to Parkrun. To be honest it was less about the running and more to try and overcome my fear that I would never meet anyone in a new town. I would have no friends, and my life would revolve around work and nothing else. Going to a comedy gig and chatting to people felt utterly unmanageable. As did joining a random activity or workshop. I knew that when it came down to it, I’d end up avoiding it because I’d feel too anxious. I also knew that this was a huge move and if I didn’t make an effort, I was going to end up feeling really lonely.

Parkrun was at least predictable. I could find a guide through the various guide running Facebook groups, go for a run, and then go home. If I was lucky, I would meet a few people. Even if we didn’t become friends, it would give me something social to do.

Going to Parkrun has changed so much in my life. My fitness has increased massively, and I’ve been building my strength in the gym with a personal trainer which has also helped my running. But more than that it is the people that have changed everything. I have been welcomed into the most amazing group of blind and VI runners and guides. After running, we get together at the café and have a chat and a coffee, sometimes with cake. I have gone to the theatre and to the cinema with friends I met there, and I have been encouraged to try sea swimming which is something I could never have imagined doing!

Somehow, I have been bullied (and it absolutely was bullying) into running a half marathon. Training for it would be impossible without guide runners, and they have generously given up so much of their time to build up the distance I can run. I have now run 10.5k and it even felt reasonably comfortable, and I have a further two months to increase that distance before doing the half at the end of September. It is almost unimaginable that a year after struggling through a 5k, that I mostly walked, I will potentially run a half marathon.

Running is amazing. I never thought I would be someone who would say that. I don’t love it with the intensity some people do, and I don’t take it or myself too seriously. But it has given me a community of great friends who do not expect me to be the best runner in the world. The main thing is that we are getting outside and meeting one another. There is something really great about that. A group of people coming together to enjoy the outdoors especially in a world that can feel so angry.