Five of the best: We take a trawl through Instagram so you don't have to
There's a lot of rubbish on social media, but these posts will hopefully brighten your day and inspire you to go out running
Instagram. A viper’s nest of influencers mixed with people trying to foist their weird worldview or a picture of their breakfast on you, sometimes at the same time.
Humankind’s collective addiction to scrolling through endless pictures to the detriment of their mental health is well documented. The freeing joy of going for a run in the countryside it is not.
But there are some rather brilliant reels and posts present among the muck and mire of Zukerberg’s picture palace.
And many of these relate to the crazy world of running. To save you the effort of doom scrolling your way towards insanity while hunting for the odd Insta pearl, we’ve picked five of our favourite inspiring and funny recent posts.
Enjoy… or just go for a run!
What England looks like to an American ultra runner:
I loved this post from ultra runner Kaleb Stephens, documenting his visit to - and run in - the UK.
Kaleb seems so genuinely enchanted by the scenery and architecture he spotted along the way, as well as concerned by the madness of the roundabouts - all things we take for granted over here.
It made me remember the importance of always keeping your eyes open when you are out running and never taking your surroundings for granted.
Follow Kaleb’s updates on Instagram at @kalebs_adventures
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Overcoming risk and fear - on Everest:
This short video from adventurer Alex Staniforth is one to make your stomach turn somersaults and leave you embracing the solid ground your feet are on.
But it also comes with a good dollop of inspiration. As Alex says in the caption, “We either move towards (a goal/objective) or move away from something (a fear/negative scenario), with the second having a stronger pull.
“Instead of asking what could happen, maybe we should ask: ‘what could happen if I don't?’”
The clip was taken in April 2015 as Alex crossed the Khumbu Icefall on Mount Everest.
What he only hints at in the captions on the clip is that his Everest trip was marred by the tragic earthquake in Nepal of the same time, which saw almost 9,000 killed and triggered an avalanche.
If you’re not aware of it already, I would urge you to follow Alex’s story which has seen him go from bullied schoolboy to adventurer and ultra runner.
Along the way, he has survived the two most significant disasters in Mount Everest’s history, ran the National Three Peaks Challenge – completing 452 miles in just nine days and 12 hours, and founded mental health charity, Mind Over Mountains.
Follow Alex’s updates on Instagram at @alexstaniforth_
The power of music, running and kind words:
I’ve long been an admirer of the work Jimmy Watkins and Rhodri Morgan have done with their Running Punks movement.
An eclectic collection of unique runners “with a punk mentality and a thirst for life and self-improvement,” Running Punks has spread from Wales to become a worldwide phenomenon.
Much of this has come on the back of former Welsh international runner and music-lover Jimmy’s epic music review videos, which are truly something to behold.
Another project Jimmy and the punks are involved in is their Rebel Relay, which - in collaboration with Craig Charles and Radio 6 Music - sees them challenge people to run or walk as many miles as possible.
As the clip above shows, this year they have reached an incredible 238,861 miles. I was taken though by what Jimmy says in the reel, which for me underscores what is really important in the world of running: “It’s great the way it can bring people together.
“It’s all too easy to look at things like social media and see how running is put across on there. It makes it look as if you can’t progress unless you’ve got the right apps, the right gear, the right stuff.
“[But] look at how far we’ve got by the power of music and kind words and motivation. We didn’t need any fancy apps. We just did it.”
Follow Jimmy’s updates on Instagram at @nutbushjimmylimits
Kids are not an excuse not to run:
Not too much to say about this post from Fridtjof Stensæth Josefsen, other than it made me laugh…
Follow Fridtjof’s updates on Instagram at @fridtjofjosefsen
Let’s Run That Again… with Craig Lewis:
And finally… time to talk about me! I was honoured at the end of last month to appear on the brilliant Let's Run That Again podcast, with Heidi Baker and Michelle Goldberg.
I talked about some of the incredible people I have been lucky enough to chat to on the Running Tales Podcast, as well as about my own running journey.
Have a listen and let me know what you think - and be sure to check out all the (probably far better) other guests Heidi and Michelle have spoken to on their pod.
In this reel, I talk about my crazy ambition to one day run an event called Escape from Meriden. It’s the sort of silly thing I say on podcasts and may now have to stick to.
It does sound like an epic event though…
Follow Let’s Run That Again on Instagram at @letsrunthatagain
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This was great. Loved the recaps of the things that made you think and feel emotion.
One of the reasons I started writing my own substack was to become more present and see / feel things around me. This post does exactly that same thing.
Thanks for doing this. I'm looking forward to the next one and I've got the podcast tee'd up to listen to throughout the day today.