Journey Over Destination

Maintaining running motivation whilst social distancing with Dora

 
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Before March hit, the only ‘Social Distancing’ most of us knew was telling the group chat we’re ‘way too busy’ to meet-up whilst scrolling through Netflix. But March arrived and brought an unexpected, unwelcome pandemic with it: Coronavirus. With our health, work and livelihoods at risk we found ourselves asking ‘what next?’. 

Someone taking Social Distancing in her stride is Nike Run Coach, Athlete and all round badass female, Dora. As a marathon runner, running Coach and co-founder of Last Pick Athletics Club (LPAC), Dora is facing Social Distancing as both a fitness creator, consumer and everything between. With the start line empty with the eeriness of social isolation and the finishing post moved, Dora and I discussed where we go from here and safe social distancing whilst exercising. 

 

How has your experience of social distancing been so far?

I’m an outdoor runner so a lot of my training is outdoors already so thankfully I haven’t been too heavily affected by gym closures. But when someone tells you not to do something like go to the gym, it makes you want to workout more. Thankfully we’re still able to train outdoors once per day. But during this period of gym closures and uncertainty, I noticed my motivation fluctuate and it was definitely low when I first found out we should distance ourselves. Everyone’s been left in this uncomfortable and unclear time so I decided I’m going to do what I know which is go out and run because that’s what gets me through anything. I’ve always said that running is my therapy so I’m going to continue to do it until I’m told that I can’t. 

In all honestly, home-workouts are not my bag but I’ve been doing them because sometimes we have to do things out of our comfort zone. I’m actually hosting some indoor workouts for the LPAC community. The sessions are bodyweight and no equipment so it’s forcing me to think outside of the box. These homework outs are great but I noticed there’s definitely a lot of pressure in the fitness industry currently. Everyone is doing a Live workout and every Instructor has an online upload schedule. I feel like saying to people ‘if you don’t want to train don’t do it’, we don’t need to feel pressured just because it’s all we see on Instagram.

 

Did your motivation take a hit when you found out that your Marathon and work were cancelled?

My motivation dipped completely. Running is essentially my job and I was also training for a Marathon which has been postponed to October. As mine got cancelled, my athletes were still training for the London marathon so I thought I’d invest my motivation for my race into coaching them to their race. It was definitely hard because I was doing my long runs without having a race to train for. But, running training is never wasted. Training for a Marathon enables you to become a runner that can use running as a mode of transport. If there’s a scenario where more public transport is shut down I know I can get around because my two feet can get me there. I’m grateful that my body allows me to do these things. 

When I heard that London Marathon was postponed, motivation became even harder as neither myself nor my team had a race to run. London Marathon is like the Runner’s Christmas, so I had to think about how to keep motivation up. I use the Nike Running Club app (NRC) to track my runners but now I’m using it more than ever for my own training too. I’m heavily invested in the App because I signed up to a 100km monthly challenge which has been tough but rewarding. These kind of challenges are keeping me accountable and I would encourage others out there to seek a challenge that they can get involved in. For us, the challenges are great because we don’t set crazy expectations. We run for a long time or a short time but there’s no speed goals and no expectations it’s just pure and simple running. 

 

With social distancing, many people are indoors all day with more time on their hands. Do you have any tips for people thinking of getting out and running during this period? 

My first tip is set a goal for the run. For example, you’re going to run from one side of the road to the other three times and that’s it. Or you’re going to run for 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 20 minutes. For progression you can add an extra five minutes on your next run which could be the next day or next week. 

The second tip is to be easy on yourself. You’re doing this for yourself to feel better so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t achieve your goal. Don’t put pressure on yourself, but thank your body that it’s not injured or that you’re capable of placing one foot in front of the other. Just remember, it’s about the journey over destination. I think my Marathon journey highlights that. Maintaining motivation until my rescheduled race has taught me that it’s about the process not the race itself. It’s about creating a great story to be told. 

Thirdly, in these times it’s important to adhere to social distancing and stay safe. Thankfully running is non-contact and currently within Boris Johnson’s guidelines. If you do have a running partner just be sensible with distancing.

 

As Co-Founder Last Pick Athletics Club (LPAC) how are you supporting your athletes training in this unprecedented time?

We’ve had to innovate and move online now. We usually have three sessions a week but now we’re using the NRC and encouraging everyone to post their runs to keep the community and connection going. We’re in the process of designing an NRC LAPC challenge. For example, in the month of April we can challenge members to complete a Marathon distance across the one month. It’s all about keeping people engaged and interacting. Social isolation and distancing is tough, so sometimes all someone needs is a check-in and a ‘how are you getting on?’.

Dora’s experience of forming a fitness routine whilst social distancing is one many of us can relate to. It’s our duty to our communities to be safe and sensible with our actions, but it’s our duty to ourselves to stay fit and maintain as much of a rhythm as we can. For Dora, that rhythm is found through running. Just like the days in social isolation, not every run is easy, but getting out in the fresh air, getting the heart pumping and celebrating what your body is capable of is one way of remaining sane. The digital fitness space is great and filled with budding Fitness Instructors delivering free online content to inspire people to move. But it’s safe to say that the Live notifications can get a little overwhelming. Sometimes all we need is to block out the online noise, lace-up, and get out there. And if you’re craving the run-club/ training buddy vibe that your previous workout routine allowed, why not try the NRC Guided Runs? Motivational Speakers, Top Coaches and Professional Athletes cheer you on every step of your run. So, if you’re feeling a little low on motivation, dust off the running trainers, set a goal and get running. 

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