Lessons from running & finding your peace during a lockdown

January 2018, I ran my first full marathon.

42.2 km the distance that separates any runner from achieving the much-coveted title of being called a ‘marathoner’.

In May 2017 I decided to give this ‘moonshot’ a chance. The distance always terrified me, but after running for seven years I felt I was finally ready for it (more mentally than physically).

March 2020, I have now been home bound for nearly two weeks and this is to continue till the 15th of April (at least!); as the late Freddie Mercury would say ‘I want to break free’. But we need to remind ourselves that this period of ‘social distancing’, of forced lock-downs will pass.

My training in the lead up to running my first marathon was also a period of self-imposed lockdown mixed with rigour, determination and persistence all because I needed to train my body and my mind to deal with the distance. Looking back, much of what I learnt in those six months still holds true today when we find ourselves locked indoors away from our ‘normal’ lives.

So in the midst of all the hysteria, how do you find your peace?

Here are the five things that helped me get to the finish line:

1. Discipline: In any sport discipline is key, without it you’ll be bailing before you even begin. From July 2017 to January 2018 I had to keep at it, stick to the schedule. This was all while juggling work and getting married in August 2017. But when you’re focused on the goal, you’ll make time to put in the hours. At first, it seems strange especially when you can’t attend a party on a Saturday night because you need to be up at 4.00 am on Sunday to get in that long run. We’re all cooped up at home right now. This is how it's going to be – accept it and you’ll find your peace. Start by building discipline into your day.
2. Teamwork: Running appears to be a solo sport, but there’s nothing further from the truth. While it was up to me to put in the training, I couldn’t have done it alone. Not without my coach telling me how to structure my training plan, my husband tolerating all those early morning alarms and my running friends who trained alongside me. At home now, your family/flatmates are your team. You’re playing for the same side, so you’ll need to help each other get through this.
3. Endurance: In any endurance sport, you better be prepared to put in the mental time. On that route to the finish, you’ll need that mental strength more times than one. A marathon is not only physically exhausting, it can be mentally excruciating too. But that’s what you train for. Our fight against the rapid spread of COVID-19 is not a sprint, it’s going to be a long, very long marathon. But it’s possible to get by, we just need to keep at it.
4. Nutrition: There’s no way you can go out for a 35 km practice run and come back and eat a whole bag of chips. Well, you can but its counterproductive. What you eat is as important as how much you train. Eating foods that fuel performance is key, it just makes it that much easier for your body to adapt to your training. The only way for us to fight this virus is if we keep ourselves healthy and our immune systems strong. So, what we eat, how much water we drink, how much we sleep and exercise will help us build better immunity to ward of the harmful effects of the virus.
5. Patience: This one was particularly difficult for me as I am not a very patient person. Preparing to run a marathon takes time and the sooner a runner accepts that fact the happier the training journey will be. You CANNOT wake up one morning and run a marathon, even if you’re an average runner. There’s a science to it and it’s the role of your coach to help you navigate the highs and lows of training. Let’s face it, we probably will never know the true extent of how bad this virus could be, but I can only hope that someone does. Let’s be patient and do whatever is within our power to try and keep ourselves and our families safe!

I hope you find your peace and to help, here is the serenity prayer that brings me comfort when things look rough: 

Give me the Strength to accept the things I cannot change

Courage to change the things I can

And the Wisdom, to know the difference.