Over time, active walking became a slow jogging, and within a few months, Angela from Northampton, who was previously “challenged but unable to run,” became obsessed with running.
By September last year, she was the second woman to cross the finish line in her first half marathon, scoring 13.1 miles in just 1 hour and 38 minutes. Her weight is now less than 9 half stones, from almost 14 half stones before the pandemic.
On Sunday, she will run for Alzheimer’s Disease Research UK, a cause close to her heart, as her grandfather has an illness. But she is also running to celebrate the changes in her life.
“I love running,” she says. “Since the first day I started it, I haven’t had a runless day. I do it for fun, for fitness, for mental health, to deal with stress. After running, I’m ready for the day. “
“I also run a landmark in London on Sunday. Or, to be more honest, I’m sick of it. It’s been 15 years since I participated in the first half marathon, but it can’t be any faster. But running is always my escape and the taste of the moment of freedom.
“I picked it up first and ran away from my terrible boss. The work was busy and stressful, the visit to the gym was less persistent, and as a health journalist, I was fully aware of the risks of the sedentary method. was doing.
“Wearing running shoes, heading to a nearby canal and running five miles at the beginning of the day has become a cure. Some kind of“ Ready Brek ”insulation, or elasticity to deal with the day. More and more people feel that they have sex. Currently, running is almost the second nature. I’m old and my injuries sometimes flare. A doctor inspecting a broken hairline (a former Millwall FC doctor) suggested that I wasn’t a natural athlete (“Speaking of this, you’re not an Etopian”).
“But for me, like many, the joy of a simple prod is life-enhancing.”
And, like when it was blocked many times, running was one of the few thrills that wasn’t illegal and seemed to be part of our lives.
Dr. Josephine Perry, a sports psychologist, suggests that many feel the same.
“We all lost so much overnight. Often, the blockage moved the ground under our feet and we lost control of our lives.”
“Running is really fascinating, especially if you’re new to running, it’s a huge leap forward,” says Perry, author of The Ten Pillars of Success.
“With a lot of effort, you can get back a lot. You may feel healthier, lose weight, meet new friends, become healthier, and” so “feel more cognitive. In addition, there are many indicators to track progress. You can see that the same loop is running 2 minutes faster than before. This gives you a sense of control and a sense of actual accomplishment. “
For many of us, the release of endorphins, so-called runners high, and mood-affecting chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine that accompany exercise is a factor that keeps us hooked.
But, as Perry points out, there are also long-term benefits. The satisfaction you get from achieving long distances and the perspective from going outdoors and looking at the scenery.
“We thought that at a certain age, the neurons in the brain would disappear and we couldn’t grow anymore, and we realized that the only thing that actually made them grow was exercise. And they grow in our hippocampus, the realm of our learning and memory, “she says.
“And while we do that, we are increasing blood to the prefrontal cortex. It’s a kind of blood rush and often helps us make good decisions.”
Sport psychologists are one of many interviewees, stating that the most annoying problems are often resolved during the run, when the person is not actively ruminating while the stress is relieved. increase.
Over the last two years, many have faced relentless pressure.
Issy Davies, a 28-year-old respiratory therapist in East London, worked in the intensive care unit of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, but started running during the first wave of the pandemic.
Before a day spent with a very vulnerable patient, she embarked on a daily run to avoid the risks of public transport and its associated Covid.
But soon she realized that 20 minutes of tapping the pavement at the beginning of each day became her “daily meditation” and cleared her mind before the hectic shift to work with the most sick patients. rice field.
“I’ve always used running as a little coping strategy. What I did when I was really anxious, or when I was feeling some kind of anger and needed some kind of release. And when the work was pretty relentless, it became an even more coping strategy. ”
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