Halfway to heaven

After five weeks of running, it's time to have a little think about what I've discovered here in the green, green fields of Ireland

I’ve been running around Ireland for five weeks now, and so perhaps it’s time for a halfway stocktake of what I’ve learned so far.

Firstly, while I may have known this before, it has become stark during the last few weeks: running is easier with other people. 

I’ve run with people on about 40% of days, and I’ve run on my own the rest of the time, and it doesn’t really matter how great or stilted the conversation is, running is just easier when the road is shared. I don’t know if that’s down to the motion of the other people, or the fact that you’re not being left alone with your own thoughts, which, when I’m on my own, seem to instantly get magnetised back to “how far have I run?” and “how much further do I have to go?”

I’ve been trying to avoid looking at my watch. “We spend so much time wishing the run was over, rather than being present in it,” one runner told me. He was practicing mindful running, so I’ve been trying that in the last few days. So rather than constantly counting down the miles, when I’m on my own I try to listen to my feet, for example, and tune into it in a trance-like, mediative way. Smiling also helps. Just tune in, and smile. It’s easier said than done, mind you.