Where this running thing began

For people who don't run it can sometimes be difficult to understand why someone would choose to get up before dawn, go out in the cold and wet, and tire yourself out only to arrive back where you started. It would then be even harder to understand why anyone would want to travel all the way to Nepal to run a marathon. Nepal is still a long way off at the moment but as we start to think about our prep, it got me thinking about this question. So where did this running thing all start?

The Origin of Running

Millennia ago, early man, I understand that he was called Kevin, was wondering along thinking how he could fit more cave painting into his day and find time to invent fire between hunting mammoth and wrestling sabre-toothed tigers, when he tripped on a dodo and stumbled forward. Catching himself with his other foot he prevented the fall, but the ground sloped away in front of him. His momentum carried him on, step after step. Suddenly he found himself moving quickly over the ground. When the hill finally became a sweeping plane he was having so much fun that he carried on doing this odd new thing. In fact he carried on doing this for the rest of the day, and before he knew it he was back in his cave with all his jobs done much earlier than usual. 

In this way running, afternoon naps and the phrase "as dead as a dodo" were all invented on the same day, forever changing mankind! (and two days later the dreaded D.O.M.S. were discovered!). 

A modern replica of the cave painting depicting the historic moment

Unfortunately Kevin's cave was still waiting for broadband and so this momentous first run was never uploaded to Strava and many critics claim this means it doesn't count.

Oh, you meant why did I start running? I see...

Why Did I Start Running?

I suppose really it was a combination of peer pressure and vanity. Almost two years into my graduate job after leaving university the idea of doing the Edinburgh marathon was suggested by another grad. I was never top of the class for PE at school and my adventures in sport growing up included half-hearted flings with football, swimming and cricket, and a longer, but not always healthy, relationship with golf. At university I did kickboxing for two years, which was great fun and incredible exercise, but since starting work my physical exercise had been from a 5-a-side game most weeks and an after work circuits session. Gyms and I have never been more than a nodding acquaintance. Apart from qualifying to represent my school at the county cross country race when I was 11, running had never featured. When the idea of a marathon was posed I had a space in my life for a new form of exercise, and I quite liked the idea of being "a marathon runner".

The disaster that was my first marathon (and to date, my only one) is probably best left for another day, but whilst training for the 2013 event I joined Tyne Bridge Harriers (TBH) for some expert advice and structured training, sheepishly arriving for the first session of the new year (and no, it was not a new year's resolution!)to be told "well you look like a runner", and, as they say, I haven't looked back since.

Oldest picture I have of me running, during my 7th parkrun. Newcastle parkrun 20th October 2012
Source: Newcastle parkrun Facebook page, Photographer Unknown

Life as a "runner"

Since joining the club I found out how much more to running there is than plodding around the same routes plugged into a set of headphones.

Why Join a Running Club?

I will do another post more specifically about running clubs, but in short, joining TBH turned out to be the best thing I could have done. Not just for my running but for my physical and mental well-being. If I had continued to train for the marathon on my own I would probably have got it entirely wrong, instead of mostly wrong, and not enjoyed it. I would have done the race then probably thrown my running shoes into the back of the cupboard and gone back to 5-a-side. Instead I found a friendly, supportive and knowledgeable group of people as well as a love for running I never expected. 

Even six years on I still find support, inspiration and fantastic group of people at the club. It is a space where running is all that matters. It is a leveller; background, profession, and political persuasion mean nothing. The only thing that counts is personality and a love of running. Respect is earnt by working hard and being part of the community.

Follow me on Instagram @runningthebreeze as I take on the Nepal Impact marathon with @hantoddie!

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