With all major 2020 sporting events either cancelled or postponed as a result of Covid-19, I found myself reflecting on what motivates me to sign myself up and train for events such as the London Duathlon which I was due to take part in September 2020, now postponed to April 2021.

Earlier this year I also signed up for the Great Manchester Run taking part in the 10k event, now postponed to May 2021.

I had also planned to take part in what has become a yearly feat, involving a hike somewhere in the Yorkshire Peaks with some friends, also postponed.

I like many others, have had to seek motivation to stay fit and healthy especially during quarantine and it has never been more important to look after our health both physical and mental, amidst a global pandemic.

With gyms having forcefully closed for the majority of this year, and my local Parkrun not starting anytime soon (something I looked forward to every Saturday morning), it has been a challenge to stay motivated to keep fit.

“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.”

Paul “Bear” Bryant

Reflecting on how I got into running took me back to 2017 when I relocated from London to Manchester for work.

During this period I would regularly attend the gym but found this routine boring at times and was looking for variety in keeping fit.

My flatmate at the time was taking part in the couch to 5k challenge and I thought this sounded cool, so decided to join. I remember running my first 2k, shattered as can be by the end of it. The struggle was real!

Despite this, my goal of running 5k kept me going as I often run along the canal and depending on my mood, listening to random songs ranging from Nas, Wretch 32, Afrobeats, House Music or even Christian Worship Songs (yes my musical taste is very sporadic) to keep me motivated.

I would eventually run 5k without feeling exhausted which motivated me to run faster and beat my previous time.

Once a runner, always a runner!

Once I’d moved back to London, I began attending my local Parkrun where I met other running enthusiasts, by which then i’d caught the ‘running bug’.

I was persuaded by some of the park runners to take part in the Vitality 10k running event which was due to take place a few months ahead.

The thought of running 10k seemed daunting at first, however liking a challenge, I decided to sign up for the event and through training I set myself a goal to run under 50 minutes which kept me motivated, given I had something to work towards.

I increased my running distances every time I trained and by the time of the event I had run 10k with a personal best time of 50:59, just shy of my 50 min target.

This pushed me to face my next challenge, to run the half marathon.

By now I had noticed a pattern. I saw a challenge I was interested in, I decided to commit to it and as a result I was motivated to train, knowing if I didn’t train I would not meet my goal and face disappointment.

I obtained advice from people that had run half marathons on how best to train. I gave myself a target to run under two hours and by the completion of the half marathon I achieved a PB time of 1:57:46.

Some people think I’m just naturally fit and I’ve had comments like “that’s easy for you”, or “it’s in your genes”, however as far as I know this is not the case. I simply had a desire to complete the half marathon, I committed to my decision by paying the entry fee, I surrounded myself with other runners and trained for my race even on a cold winters day.

My point is, its easy to make excuses for many things in life and through running I am now committed to not having a mindset of excuses.

I now try to emulate this into other areas of my life whether through my Masters Degree studies, or my current work as an Estate Agent.

I find that although I have run a half marathon, I still have moments when I run 5k where I am questioning why I’m doing this and the physical barriers of tiredness, fatigue or having a stitch kick in. During such moments, I try to remember my end goal, a feeling of accomplishment and ultimately contributing to good health and a functioning body.

Going back to studying as an example, you go through periods where you don’t understand things, you may be juggling work alongside your studies, you may even fail an exam. Whats important is not to allow these setbacks to make you give up on your end goal. It is very important to constantly seek and find The Will To Continue, as in this context, its the only way you will successfully complete your studies.

“The principle is competing against yourself. It’s about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.”

Steve Young

Another way that running helps me focus is that I am not competing with anyone else. I am simply competing with my yesterday making sure I am better today.

I think many at times we become our own worst enemy through competing with others, whether at work or in business. Don’t get me wrong competition is a normal thing and can be a good thing too. Even I am competitive in some form or another, but we must be careful in the way we are competing and not fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others.

Having tunnel vision and not worrying about what others are doing or how good their lives appear is an important factor. Reality is that peoples lives are rarely what we see or assume, especially on social media (went off topic a bit there but still relevant).

For me running has taught me to set goals, commit, focus on improving myself, without comparing myself to others. Running has also helped me find the will to carry on even when things hurt, and ultimately has led me to succeed in other areas of life.

I’d like to hear your thoughts about how running or any other sport has helped you in your personal journey to success?