Cardiff, UK

The Beauty of Running (By Someone Not Very Good At Running)


A week ago (Sunday, the 2nd of October) I ran a half-marathon. That's 13.1 miles, or 21.2 KM. I am not a seasoned marathonner, in fact I'd only just managed a 10K last year and barely ran since. BUT I DID IT!!!



I can't really brag about my finishing time of 2 hours 41 minutes, but I feel like I can brag a bit about raising £447 for Macmillan Cancer Support - so far ;)

But I wanted to share with you why I did this, despite being a self-confessed AWFUL runner. And maybe why you should sign up for a local charity run, jog or walk.

  • Running may be hard, but it's a relatively easy way to raise money for charity. And you have the freedom to choose which charity means enough to you to sweat it to the finishing line.
  • Common knowledge, but so important - running can fight depression. If you want to take it a step further, you could run for a mental health charity such as Mind.
  • Runners are SO. FRIENDLY. You can join running clubs (I've joined the Athletics Club at Uni - eek!) to meet new pals. Even if not, you'll probably encounter really kind people while running solo. Shout out to the cheerful runners at Bute Park!
  • The people who cheer you on from the sidelines are Earth-bound angels. Especially the kids waiting to cheer on their siblings or parents who shout 'You can do it!' while high-fiving you. They rock.
  • Stepping over the finish line is a unique kind of euphoria.
Note I didn't mention anything about physical appearance or weight loss, not just because I supplement my runs with tonnes of vegan pizza, but also it's not why I run. But if that is what you're after, then that's awesome too!

Okay this post is a bit of a bliss-filled mess but you get the point. I love running even though I'm crap. Try it if you want! Or don't!

xo



Comments

  1. Well done you! I run marathons for charity now as it's such a rewarding thing to do!!

    ReplyDelete

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