I am not a big fan of running. These days I never run. Sometimes I march down our street and turn the corner on my way to catch a bus. But if at that moment I see a bus on Ecclesall Road, heading down to the bus stop I will never run for it. I would rather simply wait for the next bus to come along which might be ten minutes or more.
In contrast, when I was a schoolboy, I was always running for buses. Hardly a day would go by without me sprinting along to jump on the rear boarding platform of a public bus.
Another thing I remember about the nineteen sixties is that the only place you would ever see people running seriously was on a sports field. Nobody went out jogging. No one wore day-glo lycra running gear or ventilated running shoes made by international sportswear companies. In fact there were no shops that sold such things.
Nowadays leisure running or running for fitness has almost become a religion for many people. You see runners with earphones in or fitness watches on their wrists and sometimes stretchy towel headbands. It is not a religion to which I have ever subscribed for I prefer to plod along like an elephant.
Back in my salad days when I played rugby I disliked training sessions that involved long runs. I was okay with quick bursts of running from scrum to lineout or occasionally over the line with ball in hand for a try but long runs or cross country runs? No thank you!
Having had issues with my knees in the past, I am especially apprehensive about running - believing that cantering along tarmac paths or roads could see those old knee problems return. Besides, I think my street credibility would evaporate instantly if I was ever seen out jogging in a figure hugging fluorescent running suit with pink Nike running shoes and a union jack headband.
Yes - my running days are most decidedly over. How about you?
Yes - my running days are most decidedly over. How about you?
I started running in the late seventies and did so for a few years but after I went through two more pregnancies and was a very, very full-time mother I switched up to walking which is much easier done with a stroller or baby in a sling. I couldn't do it now if a bear were behind me. And I still have my knees!
ReplyDeleteIf Keith Richard flew a helicopter over our Sheffield suburb and dropped a case filled with twenty pound notes, I would not run to catch them. Did you wear a lycra bodysuit when you were a runner Mary?
DeleteHaha! No lycra body suits for me ever.
DeleteEven as a child, I ran like an old-fashioned windmill, arms and legs flailing. I think some people are made for it and others - like me - just aren't. Sometimes I will shuffle quickly, but that's it :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the clothing and accessories - it is an industry unto itself now. Even those who don't work out wear all the name brands. Pricey, too.
I also believe that some people's bodies are made for running and others ain't.
DeleteI only experienced being a runner for about 2 years in my mid 20's. It felt wonderful and I was as physically healthy then as I've ever been in my life. Unfortunately now I'm far too fat to run and not sure I have what it takes to lose weight and start again.
ReplyDeleteI have seen pictures of you Jennifer. Please don't say you are "fat", say you are a tad overweight. "Fat" is a pretty unpleasant word when applied to humans.
DeleteLike you I was/am (by nature) more a sprinter than a long distance runner; notwithstanding that I have the stamina of an oxen and will see things through if they warrant the effort.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first arrived on these shores I used to "jog" along a canal. Don't ask. Yes, somewhere close to Milton Keynes. Six o'clock in the morning. On my own. The canal on one side, lots of cows on the other. It was peaceful. No tarmac impact. Whatever you do people will come along to spoil your innocence. Apparently I was putting myself "at risk". What risk? It's one of the more annoying things about being female that there are things some think you shouldn't do on your own. For heaven's sake I go for walks in the woods on my own. Yes, Little Red Riding Hood that's me. I have yet to encounter a wolf.
These days I don't run. I walk "briskly" if and when the occasion asks for it.
Sorry about your knee problem. Anyway, at your age (not sure how old you are) it's undignified to run after a bus.
U
I believe that in France they have a supermarket chain called "Super U". Is it named after U Ursula? I am 66. If I encounter a lone woman when I am plodding through the countryside, I think to myself - "She's got balls!" However, some of these women don't reply when I say "Hello!" or "Good morning!" as if replying might be mis-interpreted.
DeleteThat's right. I am the heiress of a French supermarket chain.
DeleteThose women you refer to who "don't reply" are, apart from plain rude, stupid. Stupid for reasons I could expand on but won't this minute. Suffice to say, why deprive themselves of making the human connection? A smile, a little eye contact, a nod of the head to acknowledge the other's existence, trust, make the heart sing, make for moments of happiness, and protects us from soul eating paranoia where there is a negligible chance of harm.
U
I could run if I wanted to, if someone was chasing me and I didn't want to get caught. These days my sense of urgency has left me and I no longer need to get anywhere quickly. I walk at a fast pace when I want to do three miles in an hour, but other times I am good at dawdling.
ReplyDeleteDawdling is a good word and an underrated activity.
DeleteI have never been a runner and since my knee surgery last fall I am just hoping I can get back on my bicycle this summer!
ReplyDeleteI believe that bicycles are kinder to knees than walking. A good way to strengthen.
DeleteMy husband (who has knee issues) was told to stay away from bicycling, that it was one of the hardest activities on one's knees. Be careful, Bonnie :)
DeleteThe jury is out on this. If you Google cycling+knee pain most sources seem to advocate cycling though some say the opposite.
DeleteI probably should have identified the source of the advice to my husband: an orthopedic doctor to whom he was referred. But that was a number of years ago - perhaps the advice would be different now.
DeleteThanks for your advice! Usually my knee tells me if I can do something or not but I sure would like to get back on the bike. I guess I'll find out this summer!
DeleteI'm not a runner either, although I was a race walker for quite some time and I can walk damned fast. I still run at work, somebody has fainted, allergic reaction, code, things like that. That's about it.
ReplyDeleteYou paint quite a graphic picture of yourself in work out gear. Men in tights. Yikes!
It is gratifying that you have absorbed that memorable image Lily.
DeleteMy running days never got off to a start - flying or others. It never got off the blocks.
ReplyDeleteDuring high school sports' days, one of my girlfriends - who also disliked running - and I would hide in the locker room/girls' toilet block...until the foot races were over. Either that or we would take turns in coming last. A couple of times we competed in the races holding hands along the way...laughing all the way! We felt no embarrassment by coming last.
I preferred participating in ball games to competing in running races.
There is no way I could run anywhere these days...even if I wanted to...my hips wouldn't allow me to do so.
I didn't mind coming last in the Beveley Grammar School cross country run in 1971. The "friend" who was supposed to cross the line with me sprinted ahead at the last minute. Prat!
DeleteWhat a rat! lol
DeleteYes, my running days are over. I ran until I was 71. I was not a good runner but I liked running.I did miss running.
ReplyDeleteDid Madam Micro Manager make you run? "Hey Red! Run down to the shops and get me my magazine!"
DeleteMine never started.....
ReplyDeleteIt was horse riding for me. I couldn't even get on one now, let alone ride it.
Not even a Shetland pony?
DeleteNot even a rocking horse........
DeleteYou know that I run regularly, although it is more a leisurely trot than a run. And I do not have a competitive streak, but I like to run my home town's city run (10K) simply because it is completely different to what I usually do, and gives me a sense of it really being MY town when I am allowed on the roads that are usually reserved for cars.
ReplyDeleteFor the past half year or so, my fitness level has been nowhere near I want it. My job is desk work and meetings all day, five days a week. I really NEED to move after that, and feel so much better both physicall and mentally when I keep up my regular exercise. Walking is always possible, and depending on the weather and other things, I prefer it to running. But to give up running completely - no, I can't see myself doing that anytime soon.
Perhaps when God approved body designs, he allowed you a runner's body but he gave me a plodder's body.
DeleteBlew out a knee (ACL/MCL) some years ago, the other knee has no cartilage left and the right ankle required tendon repair surgery in the not too distance past so running isn't in my repertoire except when chasing toddler grandchildren nearing danger. Luckily, those events usually only require brief sprints (and nerves of steel).
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your mobility problems Mary. Regarding the grandchildren, perhaps you should invest in a sheepdog.
DeleteI sometimes used to go for a run in the dark but that was a long time ago. I do have a daily exercise programme but take issue with fitness experts who say you should exercise until you're tired and your muscles ache otherwise it's of no benefit. Completely wrong. I don't want to improve. I just don't want to get worse.
ReplyDeleteWhen you ran in the dark were you naked?
DeleteI used to run, but never long distances. I did a 15k race once and that was the longest I ever managed. I think running a marathon would be insane, and downright unnatural. (Though arguably no more unnatural than running a 15k, I suppose!) Anyway I quit running about eight years ago and haven't looked back. I think walking is just as beneficial.
ReplyDeleteWalking doesn't hammer your joints in the same way that running does.
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