“When my son started school I took up running as a way to deal with the separation anxiety (mine, not his). And when I say ‘running’, I mean the distance between two power poles, followed by walking until the breathing and heart rate settled down. Rinse and repeat, several times a week along the same route, until one power pole became two, then four, then (fist pump) a whole kilometre… woohoo! That was 18 years ago, and during that time I’ve run at a fair few events, worked through a fair few injuries, as you do, discovered a love for trails and hills and running gear ($$), and met some amazing, inspirational people. In New Zealand the running community is so supportive, and we’re also blessed with many beautiful places to explore.
Just over three and a half years ago we adopted a puppy from HUHA, and my several-times-a-week routine soon became a daily ritual. Rain, hail or snow (I tell a lie… I’ve never run in the snow), Jessie and I would run together – usually in the morning, before work. We are early risers, so in winter it would be dark, too. Anyway, I discovered that run streaks were a ‘thing’, so I just kept it up. There were only a handful of times when I didn’t finish a run feeling better for having done it, like the day after a marathon, for example… ouchies! And only one occasion when I was genuinely unwell, crawling out of bed to plod the required minimum 1.6km distance, then straight back to bed.
Recently I celebrated my 1000 day streak with an unofficial WUU2k adventure and with the support of some wonderful friends and family. We finished late in the afternoon on Mt Vic with beer, pizza… and cake! Best. Day. Ever.
Another reason I run, and this is a biggie, is to share my love of running with others. It’s such a huge part of my life and the benefits have been too many to count.
There will no doubt come a time when I’ll have to give it away in favour of a gentler form of exercise, but for now, I run.”
Micky @micky.gunn
(Wellington)
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Portraits of Runners + their stories
@RunnersNZ
