Why Do You Run?

I used to go for runs with so much technology. On my smartphone I’d have a running app telling me whether to walk, jog or run, plus GPS activated and a playlist of motivational songs in the background. For a while I also wore a heart-rate monitor strapped around my chest under my t-shirt, plus the accompanying watch. Running socks, running shoes, technical t-shirt. Good to go!

Last year (hello, lockdown), I ditched all the technology. Running for me is now purely a moment for internal silence, letting my mind be soft and loose. I don’t think about time or distance, I just connect with my breath and my heartbeat, and celebrate the fact that I have two legs that can carry me through the streets, along the river and across the bridge.

These past 12 months, I have no longer run to measure performance, burn calories or change my body shape. Running is now an additional form of meditation, letting each footfall be a mantra of appreciation to Papatūānuku, Mother Earth, and Ranginui, Father Sky. Running as a pathway to self-transcendence, if you will.

I recently learnt that for the Navajo, who have a running tradition that’s over 1000 years old, running is a celebration of life. Running is a teacher. And running is a prayer, a living connection between the earth and sky. Isn’t that beautiful?

Now I run to be in touch with things that are far greater than myself, and it feels like inner freedom.