Running & learning

I think that this might be the first post here about my hobbies. Look away now if you can't face the excitement.

I run. Or, I used to. I used to clock up between 50 and 65 miles per week, with my normal long run in a week being between 15 and 25 miles. Sadly, last September I managed to overcook it and I've been suffering with an achilles problem ever since. This has been most frustrating (it's also kept me off the rowing machine); I simply can't run at all.

There have been upsides, downsides and enlightening sides. The downsides? I love running and I can't do it. Physio's orders. I run the risk of rupturing it.

The enlightening side? I've always thought of myself as essentially adaptable: there is no thing in my life that I couldn't be without, be that object or pastime. Turns out, running's pretty central to my self-conception in a way that I hadn't realised. And boy do I miss the feeling of running and the feeling of having run.

The upside? Swimming and cycling have become a part of my life. For someone who didn't swim and really didn't ride, this has been a broadly positive experience and I swim and/or cycle most days. (If this actually interests you, go find me on Strava.)

But the most significant upside has been rediscovering how to learn to do something. Most of the time, as an adult, I don't learn new skills. I've basically learned how to navigate the world: what need have I of new skills? Well, in both cases, swimming and cycling, quite a bit. I've been having swimming lessons to improve my front crawl, and working really hard on the bike to actually be able to do it. From nowhere, in both cases, I'm now passably competent. I've swum a little over 2 miles non-stop and my normal commute on the bike is anything between 20 and 30 miles per day.

That's been great. Learning and getting better at something is massively satisfying, and hard work (the former because the latter, I would guess). It's been a nice reminder that learning, and getting outside my normal comfort zone is a good thing. This is a lesson I need to keep in mind.

Of course, I'm hoping that the achilles improves so that I can run again. But, if I do, I don't think that the other things will disappear; I'm getting too much out of them. Instead, and following the excellent forays of my colleague Joseph, I suspect that a triathlon may have to take place at some point. We shall see!