"People either run to feel nothing or run to feel something” – how running helped me process my grief
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Running is undeniably having its moment right now. You only have to wander into any relatively green or open space and see people clad in spongy shoes and high-vis vests darting towards you with impressive speed to realise its cultural relevance. But when I took up running back in 2021 – it was a very unoriginal lock-down hobby – I had no idea of the impact my steady plodding would have, far beyond just my physical health.
Growing up I was relatively sporty, enjoying netball and tennis before puberty robbed me of the confidence to sweat in public. Thanks to a teenager’s metabolism, I managed to muddle through those years without giving much thought to my own health, or the health of my family.
Having also undergone two minor knee surgeries before the age of 20 (thank you genetics), I took this as an indication that I should resign myself to a life without high impact activity. There were brief moments during university where I dabbled with the gym, however these efforts were promptly undermined when my friend and I developed a habit of stopping to buy cookies from Subway on our way home.
Although I largely left sports behind as I grew up, it wasn’t until my dad’s illness struck that I began to understand the immense benefit I felt from physical movement. In 2021, my dad died after a two-and-a-half-year battle with a brain tumour. As a way to express our thanks to the wonderful nurses and doctors who cared for him in his final weeks, my brother and I pledged to run a half-marathon to raise money. Having just graduated into the hangover of covid with little to do and a whole lot of emotions to process, the structure of my first half-marathon training plan gave me the purpose and direction I so desperately needed.
