Happy Valentine's Day to the one we all love: Running!
We spoke to runners about why they love the sport...
Roses š¹ are red, Running is great,
If it was a person, Weād go on a date!
If you didnāt already, you now know why I stick to prose.
But with love in the air on Valentineās Day, we at Running Tales wanted to know why all you runners ā¤ļø love ā¤ļø the sport so much.
So, we asked some of our favourite people what makes running so special to them.
Jason Bahamundi, ultra runner and founder of Run Tri Bike:
Jason Bahamundi once won his age category in the prestigious Rocky Racoon 100-miler without even realising.
As he looked around to congratulate whoever the winner was, a race director had to repeatedly tell an exhausted Jason it was actually him.
If that doesnāt make someone fall in love with running, what will?
Jasonās impressive list of ultras also includes Western States and Cocodona 250, and heās gone on to found Run, Tri, Bike magazine - a publication which aims to be the voice of the everyday athlete.
Heās also the man behind the Everyday Athlete Podcast Network, of which Running Tales is proud to be a part.
So, why does Jason love running? He sent us this Haiku to explainā¦
Why I Love Running
Its Clears The Mind And The Heart
Nothing Else Does That
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Emily Moore, ultra runner, triathlete and MDS finisher:
A young Emily Moore was obsessed with South African track star Zola Budd, but following an accident when she was just 19 she faced the prospect of not being able to walk unaided - yet alone run - again.
Undeterred, Emily underwent a period of intense recovery, inspired by a dream to run the London Marathon.
Once that goal was ticked off, there was no stopping her and running has become an integral part of Emilyās life, helping her to complete triathlons and ultra marathons all around the world including in Nepal and the Marathon des Sables.
This is her ode to runningā¦
On Valentineās Day, I run because nothing says ātrue loveā like sweaty socks and heavy breathing.
Forget chocolates and roses - my heart belongs to my trainers (and they actually support me).
Simon Hollis, ultra runner and Go Beyond race director:
As someone who has finished the Marathon des Sables, run through the Amazon, conquered the Hell Race in India, and dressed as a rhino during an ultra in Kenya, Simon Hollis knows a thing or two about endurance running.
And, letās be honest, you have to love the sport to do those crazy races!
But Simon went one step further when he took the plunge to become a race director in 2018, taking on the Northamptonshire-based Go Beyond Challenge.
Go Beyond organises a huge variety of races, from 5k sprints to a multi-day adventure across Nepal, with Simon pulling all the strings behind the scenes.
Youāve really got to love running to deal with residents complaining on-the-day about road closures you told them about six months ago!
This is what he told Running Tales about his passion for the sportā¦
Love running to escape the world, love running for the warm fuzzy feeling when you've finished. Love running because it brings everyone together regardless of gender, skin colour, race, or religion.
Natalie Crawford, one of the first female runners in the world to complete a marathon with cystic fibrosis:
When Natalie Crawford was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, it was presented as a life-sentence but she was determined not to let it limit her.
More than a decade and four marathons later, she has changed the way the medical profession looks at exercise as a way of treating CF.
While doctors told her she shouldnāt even do a half-marathon, Natalie has made running an integral part of her lifeā¦ whatās not to love!
She sent us this tongue-in-cheek message as to what makes running so special for herā¦
Running adds passion to my life, sweeps me off my feet and takes my breath away š
Love Forward With Lewis, why our running club loves running:
Natalie is one member of the local, Northampton running club - Step Forward With Lewis - that my wife, Michelle, runs.
We decided it made sense to ask our running gang why the sport is so special to them.
Safe to say we got some epic answersā¦
James
One poem wasnāt enough for James:
Roses are red, the river Nene is blue. Running helps clear my head and take me to places new
I love running, it makes me feel free, but I still know my Garmin isnāt impressed with me
I love running, itās just the road versus me, but it really hurts and gives me a dodgy knee
Olivia
I love running š it makes me feel all hot šš
I love running it makes my heart race ā¤ļøš
Heidi
I'd like to say I'm a runner...
But what l really am
Is just someone plodding along
Without an actual plan
I go out early morning
Before the day gets too bright...
But really it's just so l
don't give others a scary frightā¦
The lycra isn't very flattering
And shows my bumps galore
But none of that matters when
I have new trainers that l adore.
Running isn't for everyone
But running is for me
Especially when it means
l can ācarb-upā with a Maccy-D
Jess
Running is therapy, it warms my heart and lifts my mood. Iām in a world of my own when I head out alone.
Paul C
There are some terrible rumours that Paul may have had help from the super shoes of the writing world to pen this poemā¦
A middle-aged man with a heart still strong,
Running through life, where the miles seem long.
Once swift on his feet, now heās grown wise,
But age has its weight, and it dulls the skies.
Heās tempted by shortcuts, a quicker route,
The easy way out, to avoid the pursuit.
But lifeās not a race, or so they say,
Yet the desire to finish is hard to allay.
He turns to the screen, an AIās sweet sound,
To craft a poem where answers are found.
āGive me the words,ā he thinks with a grin,
"To ease my burden, let me win."
But AI canāt feel the weight of his stride,
Nor the echo of longing he tries to hide.
It offers him phrases, precise and neat,
Yet misses the pulse of his tired feet.
He runs and he thinks, āWhatās the point of it all?
The faster I go, the less I recall.
I seek all these shortcuts, for ease and for speed,
But shortcuts wonāt help the soul thatās in need.ā
So he runs on the path, not knowing how far,
Taking lifeās steps, each one a new scar.
The AIās words fade into the mist,
As he learns in the struggle, the strength to persist.
Shortcuts may call, but he knows in the end,
The journey's the gift, not the time to transcend.
For every stride taken, each mile thatās long,
The heart grows stronger, the soulās melody sung.
Rosie
For me, running is time for me, thinking time and problem solving time ā¤ļø
It lifts my mood, makes me a better person to live with šš¤£
Itās therapy, when running alone itās my time to put in my headphones and switch off, when running in a group itās all about being with like minded people supporting each other in our running or simply listening ā¤ļøā¤ļø
Of course, with even the most beautiful relationships there are moments when love becomes more functionalā¦ at best - as wonderfully described by Paul Fā¦
I bloody hate running, but if it makes it less likely I'll get a stroke, I'll do it. You meet some nice people too!
Have a great Valentineās Day everyoneā¦ and if youāre not, go for a run!
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