I run because...

"Are you insane?" Ever since I started telling people that I'm training for a 126 mile run, I've been frequently asked this question. Sometimes people try to put it a bit more diplomatically than that. But from the bewildered looks on their faces, I can tell its what they're thinking. I've never quite known how to respond (not least because I think we need to be careful about the language we use when talking about mental health). But when someone asked me the "Are you insane?" question the other day, I heard what sounded like a vaguely coherent answer coming out of my mouth: "Maybe its running that helps keep me sane". I'm not sure where that answer came from but it felt like a good one. There has been a huge amount written over recent years about the positive effect of physical activity on mental health, and this certainly resonates with my own experience. Though I did a bit of running back in 2007 (around the time of turning 30...

I'm not the most spatially aware of human beings. I don't have a good sense of direction and I'm not a great map reader. But over the past few years, running has helped me to become better acquainted with my surroundings in a way that feels deeply satisfying. It's helped me discover new parts of my neighbourhood, city and surrounding countryside. And as I've begun to run longer distances, it's also helped me to join up the dots between different places I know and love. Last Saturday was a great example. I'd arranged to go for a walk in the Peak District with friends, starting at Alport Bridge (pictured),  some 13 miles from Sheffield. So of course I decided to run there, and not by the most direct route. The route I chose  involved running out of Sheffield through the neighborhoods of Crookesmoor, Crosspool and Lodge Moor, gradually climbing all the way up to Redmires reservoir and then beyond it Stanage Pole. There I turned right and continued...