Running in real life

During my marathon training all I did was run, when I wasn’t working, I was running – and training dominated my life for the duration. But after the marathon I regained my social life, and remembered all the fun I’d had before running had taken over.

I knew that I wanted to keep running, but I also realised that conducting a life aside from running was pretty important to me too, so I decided to train in a more realistic – and maintainable way.

From my marathon experience I discovered that I am very much a goal driven person, and when I don’t have a goal I tend to do very little! That said, it’s the summer and I’m quite happy to be a little freer and live without the restraints of running for a little while, but in order for me to keep up a vague level of fitness I need something fixed, that I can’t squirm my way out of – so I made two vows to myself.

The first is to join Run Dem Crew. I’ve discussed them already, but just in case you missed it... Run Dem Crew is a free running club which paces the streets of London at night, and members run from anywhere between two and seven miles per session. Runners are separated into groups according to ability, so you’ll never be chasing a cheetah, or treading on the heels of a tortoise. It’s my first session tonight, and I’m EXCITED!

As I often travel with work, my second vow is to run in every country I visit (excluding day trips) So far, so good: since the marathon I’ve run in Latvia, the USA and Italy. It truly is a great way to see a new place. You notice things that you wouldn’t normally, you meet new people, you definitely learn your geography (often through trial and error!) and you’re training feels like an adventure.

They’re two simple steps, but they’re working for me. I'll report back on my first Run Dem Crew adventure.

run like 'elle.