Bryony Gordon and Running
I just watched this video on The Pool (one of my favourite publications) with Bryony Gordon and Alexandra Heminsley discussing exercise and it made me think about my own enjoyment of sport and exercise. They talk about what it means to exercise and how they started despite being someone who exercised very little.
I admire Bryony Gordon a lot, like a lot, a lot. I'm yet to read her books, I'm dying to read them in fact and plan to hunt the library for them soon. Her story is incredibly inspiring, she has experienced various mental illnesses and suffered with addiction, and running has become a way through it. Hearing her talk about her first run and why she did it made me cry, because it made me understand exactly why I run. I don't just run to keep fit and maintain my weight, I run because it keeps me sane. It's not even an exaggeration. I honestly believe running keeps me afloat. It calms me down, motivates me to keep going, especially when I'm going through a bad period of depression or anxiety.
Bryony talks about the mindset of thinking about the things your body can't do, or things you haven't done, and instead thinking about what you can do. I immediately thought of diabetes. My pancreas doesn't work like yours and most days I dwell on it, and feel angry that my body doesn't work like everyone else's around me. But I can run. And I can run quite far distances on a weekly basis. My pancreas might not work but my legs do. My legs are strong and muscly. My lungs are strong. I use my whole body when I run and I'm proud.
"It's not about what you lose, it's about what you gain."
I gain a clear mind.
I gain strength.
Patience.
A positive attitude.
Motivation.
Energy.
Running makes both my mind and body stronger. I can tackle a difficult MH day with a run. I never thought I would love the sport this much. I never thought it would be the one consistent thing in my life that I could rely on in any situation.
Running is hard. Very fucking hard. I've been running for four years and some runs can be so terrible but I still keep at it. I still struggle to motivate myself and get out. I agree with what Bryony says, not matter how I feel before I run or how hard it was to get out the door, I have never regretted a run. I've never come home and thought ugh I wish I hadn't done that. It's impossible.
I love my running kit.
I love running to music. My playlist is varied, including Kanye West, Little Mix, Enter Shikari and Florence Welch.
I love hearing my feet hitting the pavement.
I love taking new routes and getting lost.
I love pushing my body to its limits.
I love the confidence it gives me.
I love nearly everything about running, even the blisters and discomfort.
Ohhh, to end on an achievement!! I've calculated my runs over May and June and I've logged 96.8km/60.1 miles which is the equivalent of 2.2 full length marathons. Can you believe? Cos I can't and I want to tell everyone about it so it's pretty damn far tbh.
I admire Bryony Gordon a lot, like a lot, a lot. I'm yet to read her books, I'm dying to read them in fact and plan to hunt the library for them soon. Her story is incredibly inspiring, she has experienced various mental illnesses and suffered with addiction, and running has become a way through it. Hearing her talk about her first run and why she did it made me cry, because it made me understand exactly why I run. I don't just run to keep fit and maintain my weight, I run because it keeps me sane. It's not even an exaggeration. I honestly believe running keeps me afloat. It calms me down, motivates me to keep going, especially when I'm going through a bad period of depression or anxiety.
Bryony talks about the mindset of thinking about the things your body can't do, or things you haven't done, and instead thinking about what you can do. I immediately thought of diabetes. My pancreas doesn't work like yours and most days I dwell on it, and feel angry that my body doesn't work like everyone else's around me. But I can run. And I can run quite far distances on a weekly basis. My pancreas might not work but my legs do. My legs are strong and muscly. My lungs are strong. I use my whole body when I run and I'm proud.
"It's not about what you lose, it's about what you gain."
I gain a clear mind.
I gain strength.
Patience.
A positive attitude.
Motivation.
Energy.
Running makes both my mind and body stronger. I can tackle a difficult MH day with a run. I never thought I would love the sport this much. I never thought it would be the one consistent thing in my life that I could rely on in any situation.
Running is hard. Very fucking hard. I've been running for four years and some runs can be so terrible but I still keep at it. I still struggle to motivate myself and get out. I agree with what Bryony says, not matter how I feel before I run or how hard it was to get out the door, I have never regretted a run. I've never come home and thought ugh I wish I hadn't done that. It's impossible.
I love my running kit.
I love running to music. My playlist is varied, including Kanye West, Little Mix, Enter Shikari and Florence Welch.
I love hearing my feet hitting the pavement.
I love taking new routes and getting lost.
I love pushing my body to its limits.
I love the confidence it gives me.
I love nearly everything about running, even the blisters and discomfort.
Ohhh, to end on an achievement!! I've calculated my runs over May and June and I've logged 96.8km/60.1 miles which is the equivalent of 2.2 full length marathons. Can you believe? Cos I can't and I want to tell everyone about it so it's pretty damn far tbh.
*Recent running views of gorgeous Bath.
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