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“Boredom does strange things to you,” says Imthiaz Rehman, a 30-year-old who’s recently taken up running. “It’s not something I thought I’d do, but I got so sick of being stuck inside.”
Like thousands of Brits across the UK, Imthiaz has discovered a love of running during the coronavirus pandemic. He felt self-conscious and struggled at first, but set himself small goals to improve little by little.
After two months of running three or four times a week, he can now run 10k. He hopes to run a half marathon for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust when lockdown is over.
“If you run for long enough, it becomes a kind of mindfulness and a chance to clear any thoughts in your head,” says Imthiaz, who’s based in Lewisham, London. “It’s been great for my mental health and I’ve never felt better.” Related... How To Get Through A Low Day: 10 Mood Boosters We Swear By Time outdoors has become a precious commodity in recent months, and it seems more people have been inspired to start running,
Around 207,000 people shared their running stats on
Social Media through exercise apps in March, according to one study – that’s more than January and February combined. Some of these runners will be completely new to the habit, others may have rediscovered their love of it after many years. Running makes me feel powerful and strong.Laura HitchcockLaura Hitchcock, 45, from Dorset, started running four years ago, initially to lose weight, but slowly lost the motivation to keep it up. Faced with long stints in indoors with her husband and three teenage children, she decided to dust off her trainers during lockdown.
Daily walks “woke up her brain” to the benefits of exercise, she says, and soon, walking turned into jogging. The gleeful photo below shows the first time she ran for five minutes without stopping. “It sounds a bit woo woo, but running makes me feel powerful and strong,” she says. “Even so early on in my running journey, I can feel the improvements, and love the strength and daily increases in my own ability. Also, the uninterrupted headspace is a welcome retreat during lockdown.”
Reva Nandakumara, 38, from
London, has started running with her eight-year-old son. She says she’s never been able to run for more than one minute before.
“I feel like, at the age of about 10, I was patted on the head and labelled as a ‘brainy one’ not a ‘sporty one’ and so I disconnected myself from even trying to engage with sport,” she says.But since the pair started using the Couch to 5K app to get active before homeschooling, she now runs for 30 minutes, four days a week.
“It’s had such a big effect on both of us,” says Reva. “It shows me if you try, you can achieve more than you thought you were capable of. It has made me love my body in a different way, and I thoroughly enjoy running with my son. I hope we keep it up.”
For Tim Grice, 38, from Leeds, running has become a way to add structure to his day while working from home. He used to go to the gym three to four times a week, but did very little cardio and has “never been a runner”. However, seeing the progress he made in one week spurred him on to keep going. Related... Where Has My Motivation Gone And How On Earth Do I Get It Back?! “Since mid-April I’ve covered 250k and honestly, I don’t know how I’d start the day without it moving forward,” he says. “It clears my head and sets me up for the day, I’ve been more positive and productive.”
Tim is so converted, he doesn’t think he’ll return to the gym after it reopens. It’s been revolutionary for my mental health.Charlotte EllisCharlotte Ellis, 24, based in the Lincolnshire Wolds, also has a new-found enthusiasm for running – the quieter roads and slower pace of life encouraged her to start.
“I always struggled with it before because I broke my leg badly a few years ago, so was always nervous incase it hurt or did me any damage,” she says.
“During lockdown I felt confident to try it and go at my own pace. I started with little baby stop and start runs, and now, two months later, I can (slowly) run an 8K!”Getting into a regular running habit has been “revolutionary” for her mental health. “I’d heard people saying how much it eased their anxiety and always thought it to be an old wives’ tale, or coming from people who had less acute anxiety than I have,” she says.
“But I’m a convert! It clears my head, makes me feel like I’ve achieved something, and stops me from beating myself up about having a Kit Kat with my coffee.”
Others on
Twitter also shared their personal experiences of discovering running during lockdown.
Be warned: you may be inspired to download Couch to 5K immediately. I have run sporadically before but never consistently - since March I’ve been going 2-3 times a week. It’s great seeing progress & I now get the urge to go for a run! It’s a very freeing form of exercise & gives me a sense of release plus I love being out in nature— Emily McMullin (@EMcM_16) June 2, 2020A running re-convert here! Getting back into it in lockdown as I now have some more time. My work colleagues and I have created a virtual travel challenge, so we're logging our kms and virtually travelling around the
UK and
Ireland together. That's been great for motivating me!— Fiona Treacy (@FionaTreacy7) June 2, 2020I started couch to 5k with a friend in January but had to finish it on my own due to lockdown. Very proud that I achieved it particularly as I was ill with ME for a few years. I now go running with my 17 year old son a couple of times a week and feel fitter than I have in years😊— Giddy Goat Toys (@GiddyGoatToys) June 2, 2020Total convert to #Couchto5K, now running non stop for 25 minutes without too much trouble. What’s great is it gives you a routine before it gives you a challenge, so you’re almost oblivious you how your stamina is improving and very pleasantly surprised when the long runs start— Jack Sommers (@jack_sommers) June 2, 2020Newbie lockdown runner here. Just finishing week 7 of couch25k. Love the chance to be outside and not having to travel for work means I’ve got more energy and time to fit it in— Dani Bacon (@BaconDL) June 2, 2020Yes! Newbie outside runner here. I have a treadmill that I used a few times a week but it broke and COVID makes repair hard so got outside and LOVE it. Won’t go back to treadmill now. Got the bug. pic.twitter.com/DWERj6JiaQ— Matt Mecham (@mattmecham) June 2, 2020Hi. I started C25K a few weeks before lockdown and am currently working towards being able to run 10k. I love that my mind is so focused on the journey ahead and I'm fitter in my 40s than I was in my 20s!— Victoria Maart #FBPE #StayHomeAndStaySafe (@vikkie1979) June 2, 2020READ MORE: Will We Still Want To Pay For Gym Memberships When Lockdown Is Over? Coronavirus Cancelled My Marathon. So I Ran 4,689 Laps Around My Garden Instead 6 Science-Backed Ways To Boost Your Mood