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When I was living in Sydney in 2004, I signed up for a Nike Women’s 5K and there in started my obsession with running. I started to get fit, lose my post-uni weight and created a training plan to motivate myself. However, I found sometimes it could be a lonely pursuit having no friends who ran, and the running club I briefly joined made me feel like I was out of my depth.
Since that Nike run in 2004 I became addicted to racing and I’ve taken part in so many events to date. The icing on the cake was the New York Marathon in 2007 which I completed in 4:04:28. It was an extremely proud moment and I rewarded myself with a pair of Christian Louboutin Pigalle’s, making those gruelling 26.2 miles even more worthwhile!
About two years ago I suddenly felt like old age had crept up and with a serious neck injury and loud cracking hips, which had me feeling like a prime candidate for a hip replacement, I decided to take a long break from running and returned to the gym. At the end of last year via the charity Disability Rights UK I secured a much coveted place to take part in the Virgin London Marathon this April. The London Marathon has been on my bucket list for many years, partly because it’s such an iconic global running event and also in memory of my Dad who had also ran it previously.
So I’m now five weeks into a sixteen week intermediate programme, which in this cold and dark February weather, has taken a much needed mind over matter approach to get up and get out, either to run early mornings or late in the evenings once home after a long day at work.
However what I’ve relished most about falling back in love with running is what I call finding your tribe. A group of people that you connect with, who are like you, who are experiencing the same highs and lows that you are and who are on the same journey. Unlike back in the old days when I did NYC you can now follow fellow runners on apps like Instagram and Twitter. You can check out their training progress, favourite post-run snacks and recipes, and the latest much coveted Lycra outfit (I’m certainly not someone who needs an excuse to spend a fortune in Nike Town!). I’ve found my tribe has empathised on my tough days, when I’ve hated the run if it’s been slow and painful, or if I’ve been panicking because life has railroaded my training schedule and it has not been religiously adhered too. They get me! Alternatively when I’ve smashed a time trial, buzzing from a good run or taken time out to do some extra cross training they have been there to applaud, encourage, and provide support. A virtual cheer squad!
Social media has enabled us to build these tribes. Communities which have give people like me a sense of belonging to a group of people I can connect with on a certain level. Believe me it doesn’t take away from your friends and family who you need as your cheer squad on race day waiting with a much needed glass of bubbles, but it has given me the extra motivation, accountability, a sense of belonging and more importantly belief in myself for a passion I thought I had lost.
By Ruth Cooper-Dickson
