A Reflection on Running After the Big Half
18 years ago, when I started running, it wasn’t like this...
Running was simply an attempt to get fit. A way of burning off calories and enjoying oneself out in nature regularly. The first race I did was a 5km run in my local town park raising funds for Cancer Research UK. Or as it is commonly known as: Race for Life. I trained for it from never having ran before. I printed out the plan from the website. I didn’t have a smart phone back then, so there was not ‘couch to 5k app’ or anything digital to keep me going and motivated as there is now. I ran mostly alone or with my older sister. We ran very close to home. In fact, when I first started, it was just in our backyard. I remember being out of breath in the garden from that first one minute of continuous running! There were no other hijab-wearing females at the first 5k race other than my mother, sister and I.
Fast forward to running two full marathons and many half marathons and 10k’s as an adult. In that last half marathon, the Big Half, there were so many hijab-wearing women and Muslims in general! I don’t think this would’ve been possible had it not been for the popularisation of the sport and for the initiatives to bring minority groups to participate in races. Not all my entries have been community places for sure. It is more about the continued encouragement from others who look like me and who have shared beliefs and values.
Some prominent organisations that promote running and the community feel for minorities in the UK are:
· Active Inclusion Network_ Muslim Runners
And there are many more now.
The volunteers in the community organisations work relentlessly to bring us together and to organise race and other social and sporting events. It is hard work. It is also very vibrant and non-stop. They do it for the sake of community and for the love of running! I am ever so grateful for these great leaders.
There is definitely a very welcoming community feel in races now, thanks to the above organisations. There are many people who get into running purely for the social aspect of it all. The rise and hype over what’s called “self-care” comes to mind as well, and the increased awareness on mental health and wellbeing. These are all very good reasons to get into running. The racing element also requires time and money investment and commitment and can be seen as mini-holiday breaks.
I must put a disclaimer out there that for an introvert like myself -albeit a rather extroverted one- the social-side can sometimes, just sometimes have its downsides as well. It really depends on how much one immerses themselves into gatherings or social circles. It is a minority of a minority of people that cause others a headache. Unfortunately, not everyone is as resilient or mindful and is able to block off negativity. Then again: that’s just life. On the upside, the vast majority of people are supportive and very encouraging. Something you don’t get in many other circles brought together by a shared interest. I have made some incredible friends from the communities. I can tell some will be lifelong friendships as well. On balance, it is good to remain moderate when immersing oneself in communities.
Back to the actual sport itself:
I got asked once about running “does it get easier?” I had to think a little. The answer is “no, it doesn’t”. Not for me anyway. It is clear that fitness is something you constantly have to keep working on. Just like anything else in life that is meaningful and valuable enough. It needs effort and maintenance: faith, learning, relationships, career, etc.
When a student once said to me as I was teaching the class and mentioned I was training for a marathon: “Miss, I'm not being funny yeah, but you don’t look like a runner”. Should I have taken that as a sign and respected my physical genetic makeup and stopped training? Absolutely not! I love running. I am not here to win races or enter the Olympics. I know why I run and that’s enough for me, Alhamdulellah.
You can listen to or read my poem on why I run here. The words literally came to me whilst I was out on a run!
I talk, write and share things about running a lot for someone whose expertise is actually in education and not in sports and fitness. The reason is that it’s currently my number one hobby and outlet, but also due to the immense benefits it has on cognitive capacity and overall wellbeing. I write more on this in my upcoming book.
There are also many personal reasons to why people run and stay on top of their health game besides the obvious health benefits. When my youngest aunt passed away last year due to health reasons, that did not stop me from running my first 10k trail race the next day. Dare I say I felt it necessary to show up and run for my own sanity. It is not as simple that our health lifestyle choices can guarantee illness-prevention and hold off death. It is just that we will get asked what we did with our God-given lives and bodies. We do what we can and let fate take its course. Kiptum died tragically at 24 years of age and he was in perfect health!
Run for your health. Run because health is wealth. Don’t run to show off, or just because it’s getting popular. It’s a discipline, not a fad. You learn so much from putting in the work and investing in yourself and community.
It’s not about the medals, photos or T-shirts at the end of races. It is about the discipline throughout the training period... It is good to keep improving and getting “PBs (personal bests)”. Try not to over obsess about statistics and remember to enjoy. Keep an overview of the bigger picture. I say this advice to myself first and foremost by the way. I have fainted during a race before. I almost fainted after two races as well. Nobody is perfect. Constant reminders are beneficial all round.
But yeah... 18 years ago, when I started running, it wasn’t like this.
