CROSS COUNTRY
A much needed reprieve from a virtual world .
With another year came another lockdown . Yet again , we found ourselves stuck inside , immersed in a virtual world . In those uncertain times , we were left searching for the little things that we could enjoy ; whether it was doing some art or walking the dog , hobbies provided a welcome distraction from the screen . For us , and many others , that pastime was running , and when we were stuck at home , we had more time than ever to go outside for a jog .
It ’ s fair to say that like many things , training became far more difficult during lockdown . Running alone posed the challenge of self-motivation with a lack of teammates to keep up the pace . For many , there were also shorter winter days and curfews to deal with . Most importantly perhaps , was that with no scheduled exercise such as school games , or even any reason to go outdoors , the push needed to get going was often absent .
But as much as running became more difficult during lockdown , it was also the answer to many of the issues that lockdown brought . We both found that by embracing the positives of lockdown we could appreciate some of the benefits of running alone .
The advantage of lockdown , at least in our opinion , was that it gave us more time to focus on our wellbeing , and what better way to do so than through running ? Whilst running alone can be more difficult , it ’ s also the best way to teach yourself to self-pace and self-motivate and prepare for longer races such as the Knole Run .
For those who wanted to push themselves , there was the Masked Miler challenge , and cross country team time trials provided a chance to race . Our coaches encouraged us to do regular time trials to gauge our progress and set benchmarks for improvement ; these goal times were sent out to everyone and although they couldn ’ t replace normal races , they give us a target to work towards .
Apart from proven physical and mental health benefits , running is also an effective means of reprieve from work and a much-needed chance to get away from screens . In the January 2021 lockdown it was important to reflect on the lessons from the March 2020 lockdown , and value the time that was freed up . Many used the time to create new habits that lasted beyond lockdown , and going for a jog was the perfect way to start !
Gemma Griffiths and Fenton Davoren , Lower Sixth
106 SPORT REVIEW