A completely different person

I used to be a runaholic. That was before this depression came round the corner... :( A year ago, I bought myself a decent pair of running shoes and appropiate clothing, I downloaded the 30 episodes of Start to Run, and off I went. Evy Gruyaert, a popular presenter on the Flemish television, started this Start to Run program a couple of years ago. It promises that you'll be able to run 5 kilometres in 10 weeks' time. Of course, training is required, no less than 3 times a week. I don't know if you remember, but last year the weather was awesome from March till June (and that was about it, for that matter), so it was ideal to go running with Evy. She's a good coach, you know, always cheerful, always there to stimulate you: "just two more minutes, come on, you can do it!". I became addicted and I just loved it to hear the good old Flemish accent again. I have to admit that I didn't make it in 10 weeks, but I managed to run 5 kilometres after 12 weeks of constant training, and you know what, it made me feel as if I were a whole new person. I had finally achieved something in my life! It felt really good. Running had made my life different. So I went, dutifully, three times a week. I was able to run those 5 kilometres in about 33 minutes, which is not bad for a beginner. But I was hungry for more. I wanted to run faster, and especially, I wanted to be able to run the so called "Leidse singelloop" in April 2012, a popular running event here in the city of Leiden, with a track of 6.6 km. So more training would be required if I wanted to make it, and I would have to keep on running my precious 5 kilometres during autumn and winter. Not an easy task! And of course, I would have to go that little bit further, to reach the 6.6 km. It doesn't seem a lot more, but in fact it is quite a lot, believe me. 

I went to Belgium for 4 weeks during the summer holidays, but the weather was completely different back then, and during those 4 weeks, I couldn't stick to my schedule. I merely succeeded in running 5 kilometres 4 times during those 4 weeks. After the summer break, I noticed that I had lost the discipline. It became more difficult to run my precious 5 km. I only went twice a week, but I was still happy with it. Autumn began quite good, in fact. The weather was nice again - as it had been in March and April - so I stuck to my program of running twice a week. Even during the winter, I could keep up the pace. I had already bought appropiate clothing for the winter, and when I went to Belgium for Christmas, I ran my 5 km twice a week again. Still, the winter was mild initially. After the Christmas holidays, when I came back to Leiden, everything changed. We suddenly were at -15 degrees! No way I would go out running, especially because the roads were not safe, with the snow and ice and all. The gaps between my training sessions became larger and larger... until I quit completely. That was when this current depression was lurking in the shadows already... As the weather didn't allow me to go out running, I went to the gym twice, using the treadmill. It wasn't the same, but it was as close I could get to my former training conditions. Anyway, I couldn't keep up. I felt quite depressed in February already, but in March it became extremely bad. So no more running for me... Until... today! I went back to the gym, and I can tell you, I feel again as a completely different person :) I'm even a little bit proud, although you can imagine that after a standstill of more than 2 months, I didn't make the 5 km. However, I ran for 15 minutes and then for another 10 minutes with a break of 2 minutes of walking in between, and I reached the 3.8 kilometres. Not bad if you ask me. Afterwards, I was panting, but that shouldn't come as a surprise ;) Anyway, I can recommend it to all of you: if you feel depressed or blue, just go for a run! 


I didn't make the "Leidse singelloop" as you'd probably imagined, but today's experience makes me just that tiny little bit happier again. I should do this more often! And as long as the weather stays unbearable, I will use the treadmill. I'm not really a die hard that goes running when it's pouring with rain or when there's too much wind. Ok, I admit, I'm completely the opposite of a tough girl, but I dare you, dearest reader, to go for a run in the beautiful city of Leiden when the weather gets better. I bet I can beat you by that time!