“My running journey started during my later years as a university student, and it will surprise no one who knows me that it consisted of the hilly trails around the Zealandia fenceline. The running was a secondary, or perhaps tertiary, goal, not in my mind when I started regularly walking around the fence, but I eventually realised it would be a bit quicker if I ran some of it. The main reasons I was there are the same reasons I run now; to find some great views, to walk through the bush, to hear the birds, to find some time to think.
Initially I would only run some of the downhill bits, but soon enough running more of it became something of a challenge to myself. I started to run some of the flat bits, and worked my way up to some of the climbs, though it was some time before I could run the whole way round… there are some fairly steep bits in there!
Running the same route every week can be a bit monotonous, so I used running as a way to explore some places I wouldn’t usually go; at first this was other parts of Wellington, but later when living in the UK, my main means of exploration was to go for a run somewhere different. A bonus if this was off-road, but even just running around a different suburb can take you somewhere you wouldn’t normally go.
My initial running was definitely solitary, just going out on my own. But soon enough I had succumbed to the draw of *events*, and entered (alongside a group from uni) the Round the Bays half marathon. For me, this is quite a different kind of running. Flat, fast (compared to the fenceline), and providing a clear way of comparing yourself to others that is lacking on a nice solitary run/walk on some trails. The next two events were more to the trail-end of the spectrum, hilly and off-road, Capital Punishment in Johnsonville, and the Bush to Beach half marathon in the Coromandel (both sadly no longer run). The latter was a trip away with friends, and was a nice change from running on my own all the time. My running now is a mix of running on my own, a great way to relax, running with a friend or two, or enjoying my weekly parkrun with many others.
As far as structure goes, I run to enjoyment; I don’t have any training plan, and except for the Saturday morning parkrun, the rest of my week is just running when I feel like it, for some time that I can fit in. My thinking is if I make sure I’m wanting to run (by enjoying each run), that will encourage me to run more than if running is seen as a chore. Mostly I try to stick to the trails around Wellington, and luckily there are a few to choose from. Sometimes, that even means a nice, somewhat nostalgic, run around the fenceline.”
Walter @w_lt_rs_m_rv_ll_
(Wellington)
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