Rediscovering the Joy of Running: A Journey to Passion and Resilience

Ever wondered how reconnecting with a lost passion can transform your life? Discover my heartfelt journey back into the world of running on the latest episode of Stephen's Evolution podcast. From reminiscing about my teenage years when running was just a summer fling, to now embracing it as a crucial part of my weekly routine, this episode is a testament to how the simplest activities can bring about profound changes. I talk about how running not only helps me stay fit but also reconnects me with nature, builds resilience, and boosts my confidence. 

Get an inside look at my structured training week, where I mix slow-paced runs, hill training, and the exhilarating 5k park runs. I also delve into the tools that keep me on track, from inspirational YouTube channels to the Strava app that meticulously logs my progress. Celebrate with me as I share significant milestones, like breaking my sub-25 minute 5k barrier, and gather practical tips on how to prepare for your runs. Whether you're a seasoned runner or just looking for a motivational push, this episode is packed with personal insights and actionable advice to help you find joy in running. Tune in and let’s hit the ground running together!

Thanks for listening. You can find me on my website stephensevolution.com, or on twitter here. You can sign up to receive news of new episodes when they're released here.


Artwork produced by Elena Designe
Music composed by Nela Ruiz

Transcript

Intro

Music Fading In

Hi there and welcome back to the Stephen's Evolution podcast, where every fortnight, I share my lived experiences on the autism spectrum to inspire hope in others. I'm Stephen McHugh, and in this episode I'm excited to talk about a new and renewed interest in my life running. What sparked my interest in running? Looking back to my teenage years, running was more of a summer activity for me. Back then, though I did do it during evenings in the autumn with a local running club. It had been more of a summer activity for me, naturally, since in summer, days are longer and they tend to be warmer too. However, as time went on, there were other things that took priority in my eyes, my education and work life, and in later years I took up other interests in other sporting activities like swimming and golf. 

But more recently in more recent months to be precise I felt the urge to take up running again. The way I look at it, I see it more than just exercise. It's also about being out in the open air. I also have an interest in nature, and it helps me to feel the connection to nature more strongly. In addition, it can help you to build resilience and give you more confidence when facing difficult and more testing times. Running, I'm finding, can help with focus on targets. Here, I set myself a target to beat in a park run of 5k every Saturday. Whenever I've achieved a set target, it gives me that feel-good factor and confidence boost that we all need from time to time.
 

How running fits into my routine

And now on to the section of how running fits into my routine. For a typical week. What I've decided is to do a slow-paced run for a set number of kilometres on a Tuesday, usually for no more than an hour, followed by a rest day on Wednesday. Then on the next day, which is going to be on Thursdays, I plan to do some hill training in a local park with the aim of developing strength and endurance. What I hope to get from hill training is more in terms of stamina. Again, I plan to follow this with a rest day on Fridays. 

On Saturdays, I love getting up to do a 5k park run. This is something that I've recently taken up. For me, it's also a nice excuse to get up early on a Saturday and be moving by 9am. Normally on a Saturday we can be having lie-ins following busy weeks, Monday to Friday. I actually got ideas for my training routine from watching YouTube channels related to running, and now I'm using the Strava app from the Google Play Store. This is an app which records and analyses your progress for a set activity, such as a particular form of exercise you may choose, such as a particular form of exercise you may choose. With this. I find it pretty motivating and satisfying to look back and see how far I've come. And now let's get on to some information about my progress. 

Here, I'd like to talk about some milestones that I've set and achieved in my 5k runs so far. My first park run was a sub-30 minute run at 27 minutes 11 seconds. In the weeks before that I did some runs in quiet roads and down a local canal, which I felt were beneficial in getting me used to running again. This first park run I took easy and was more like a taster session for me. In the following park run, in my second one, I improved my time further to 25 minutes and 38 seconds, and even further on my third, which was at 25 minutes and 23 seconds. 

For my fourth run, I improved even further, getting close to sub 25, which was to be my next aim, which I finally hit on my fifth park run, which was 24 minutes and 10 seconds. That fifth park run for me, I felt, was really impactful, especially as it was my first sub-25 5k. One thing it definitely showed me is that I can achieve realistic targets if I put my mind to them. There were definitely times during that run and previous ones when I felt like it was easier to stop, but one thing I kept telling myself was that I had a target to meet, that I'm capable. 

Advice for Run Preparations

And now there's some advice I'd like to give you with regards to run preparations. Before I head out, what I always tend to do is a few basic warm-ups and stretches. I look up ideas for stretches and warm-ups on Google and, of course, youtube. And then after those, I start with a slow jog before getting into the main part of my workout. I find that basic warm-ups and stretches that I do get me ready and reduce the likelihood of injuries occurring. Furthermore, on park run days, just like with any running session, I only eat a basic breakfast or a meal at least an hour before my run. 

What I find at the end of each run is a real sense of achievement, especially when you meet goals you've set for yourself, like in my case, hitting that sub 25, 5k.  Furthermore, there's the feeling of being part of a community that shares the interest, which is also great. This reminds me of a time when I once got invited round next door by a former neighbour many years ago to share my musical talents with them, as they shared that interest.  As I  notice the sounds and sights of nature and the rhythm of other runners around me, this can be very soothing. Listening to music can be another option too. I haven't explored that yet, but I plan to explore that option at some time in the future. 

For any of you thinking about taking up running, my advice is simple.  Just be yourself and go for it. Run at a pace that you feel is right for you and don't forget to do some stretches beforehand. If you find yourself tiring during a run, slow down. Don't push yourself too hard, as this can increase the injury risk. That's according to research I've done. Some of you may already have an interest in running as well. Naturally, you may end up with aches and pains. That's all part of the process. I admit I've experienced things like that too, after a long period without any running.  What I do is simply choose to have some rest in between running and training sessions, and they're pretty much as good as gone in a small number of days. A walk, I find, can do some good too. 

Park runs, I have found, are a lot of fun. They're completely free of charge and no one is there to judge one's running ability. Those who take part in parkruns are welcome to run, walk and jog. They also have a number of volunteers, to which I'm very grateful for, who are very important to help keep these events going.

My Longer Term Goals

What are my longer term goals here? What I plan to do is continue setting realistic targets to keep myself motivated. At the time of recording this the day before, I achieved a time of around 24 minutes and 5 seconds and five seconds, but the Strava app that I used showed that I completed exactly five kilometres in under 24, at around 23 minutes and 42 seconds or around that.

 Always set realistic targets. What is my next target now? Sub 23 and so on. For me now, it's just one minute at a time. This approach, I feel, will be more manageable and help to keep me progressing without overwhelming myself.
 

Advice About Running Gear

And now, in terms of gear, things like comfortable trainers and appropriate clothing,  like shorts and a short-sleeved running shirt I have found can work well in the event that it's raining. I haven't had the experience of doing a park run in rain, but what I do understand here is a lightweight running jacket can be a lifesaver. You can find good options for running gear on Amazon, and let me remind you here I have no affiliation with Amazon.


Running Benefits

In broader terms, running has given me the confidence to face potential hurdles in the future. I feel that it's helped me to build resilience when I push myself through challenges in running. One thing I think about now is how it can translate to other areas of life too. One thing I thought of was it can help me with the continuation of my language development, such as metaphorically comparing the difficult times during the run when I feel like stopping comparing testing times faced in everyday life. My sub-25 and sub-24 5k runs have got me thinking about times when I faced challenges as a result of being on the autism spectrum and how I've overcome them. It gives me great satisfaction to look at all these.

Conclusions

And that brings us to the end of this episode. I hope you found my experiences and insights into my new and renewed interest of running interesting, inspiring and helpful. To recap, I talked about what got me back into running again, how I incorporated it into my daily and weekly routines and the significant milestones I've achieved, and shared some tips for those looking to start running. Running has been a transformative experience for me, and I hope it continues to be like that for me. It is helping me to build resilience and gain more confidence in myself. It's a journey that I'm excited to continue. Remember the key is to set realistic targets, be consistent and, most importantly, enjoy the process.

If you have any questions, thoughts or any experiences you'd like to share, I'd like to hear from you. Feel free to reach out on social media or leave a comment. You can find a link to me on Twitter via a link at the footer of my website, stephensevolution.com. Thank you for tuning in and spending your time with me today. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing. You can do this by clicking on a link close to the footer of the homepage of my website. You will be taken to a form where you can fill in your details to receive news of newly released episodes. You can also leave a review on platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser, and Podcast Addict. By doing this, you're opening the door for others who might receive inspiration and hope.

In addition, my podcast platform now has an option that will allow any listeners, including you, to text your messages directly to my podcast. There are plans for this in the near future. For mine, this will mean that you'll easily be able to share your thoughts, comments and feedback on each episode. I'd love to hear from you, whether it's your personal experiences, questions or any other topic you'd like to hear more about. Your input could be incredibly valuable and help make this podcast an even better resource for everyone in this community. So keep an eye out for this new feature and don't hesitate to reach out. I'm very excited and looking forward to connecting with you and hearing any of your stories. Join me next time as I continue to share more about my journey on the autism spectrum and the ways I find hope and inspiration in everyday life. Until then, keep moving forward, stay positive and take care.

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