Jimmy

In 2006 I broke the Welsh 800m indoor record, I was British Champion, I made the final at the World Indoor Championships in Moscow and running was my life. A year later I was playing guitar and singing in front of a dart board in a pub in Cardiff. Running was over for me. I’d had enough. The sport had tried its best to consume me, and I bailed before my personality got washed away by the strict and regimented routine that I was expected to follow.

Looking back now, it was a bit of an overreaction, but I was 25 years old and all I wanted to do was express myself and put my excess energy on show. I felt like a firework, and nobody in their right mind would want to keep one of those in a box after it’s been lit. So, just like that, I was no longer a runner. I started a band and threw everything I had into it. We recorded, gigged, toured, slept on floors, slept in vans and drank a lot. Beer, wine, whisky, vodka, it all helped numb the fact that I’d gone from a disciplined lifestyle, into a very dull and repetitive one. For the next 10 years or so, I neglected my health, and where, as a young man I was worried about losing my personality, I was now allowing others to tell me what kind of person I was: you’re a bad person because you drink, you’re a nuisance because you don’t know when to stop.

All that changed when I was sent a YouTube link to the World Indoor Championship final from 2006. I had never watched the race, and this was the first time I’d seen myself take on the best middle distance runners in the world. I showed it to my wife and when the camera showed me on the start line, I smiled and waved to the crowd as the announcer read out my name. My wife immediately said “see, there you are. He’s still inside you isn’t he.” It was then that I realised, the difference between Jimmy 2018 and Jimmy 2006, wasn’t that I’d put on a lot of weight or lost my hair. No, the difference was that I’d accumulated a lot of unnecessary baggage and negative experiences. I felt like a bellboy in a hotel lobby, covered in other people’s bags. In an instant, I saw that the way to get back to Jimmy 2006 (the best version of myself) was not to lose weight and go on a diet, it was to get rid of all this junk that clung to my very being. I needed to throw away any negativity that had been projected onto me by other people. I needed to shake off 10 years of booze guilt and apologies. I felt, at that moment that I just needed to sweat the last decade out of my body. It was a powerful realisation and it made sense to me.

At that moment, it wasn’t a case of getting healthy, it was about releasing all this muck out of my body. It was as though I was a full container and I couldn’t take any more. I could feel the experiences I didn’t need pressed up inside me, waiting to be let out. I went to bed that night, knowing that I would be able to do this. I would be able to go from Jimmy 2018, to Jimmy 2006 with no problem at all. The reason it seemed easy, was because I knew it had to be done. I wanted to bring the 25 year old version of myself back to the surface. I no longer wanted to have all these murky depths.

This was at the end of October, and I deliberately didn’t do anything about it until January the 1st the following year. The reason for this was that I wanted to think about it. I wanted to imagine myself in a year’s time, feeling much happier. I’d have that image in my mind constantly. I’d picture myself sat on the sofa in a year’s time, looking much slimmer and smiling exactly like I did in 2006. I had a feeling that the only way I’d succeed in this was if I began at the start of the year. I wanted to give boozy Jimmy a fair enough count down, and you know what, I wanted to spend some quality time with a version of myself that I was about to start deleting fairly soon. When you’re getting rid of something forever, it’s nice to say goodbye. 

Rhodri

I wish I’d discovered running earlier…

Years of playing in a band, drinking, partying, eating crappy food on the road followed by working long hours in a stressful environment catches up with you in the end. It certainly did with me. I felt rubbish. Low and constantly tired - no energy, no motivation, no enthusiasm and a bag full of excuses as to why I couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t realise at the time but things had turned pretty dark.

One day, I decided to go for a run. I’d heard it was good for you…

My first run - January 2nd 2018. It took me longer to prepare for the run than it did to actually run it. I ate a bowl of pasta an hour before, then 30 mins before I drank a protein shake (not to lose any muscle mass when I ran!), followed by a preworkout drink full of caffeine and sugar! I set off in my joggers, 3 layers on top, my gloves and my bobble hat with headphones over the top of it. I'd selected my 'running playlist' on my phone which was strapped to my arm and off I went. My first steps were brilliant. I ran fast. I felt a surge of endorphins rush through my blood as I pounded the pavement in my brand new shiny running daps. I felt great! I had Metallica blasting in my ears and I managed get my feet landing bang every bass drum strike of Lars Ulrich’s average rock beat. But it didn't last. Within 30 seconds I was soaking with sweat. I had a stitch (from the pasta, protein shake and preworkout drink!) and my lungs felt like they were on fire. My legs filled up with lactic acid and felt like I was running through thick mud. I had to slow down. I kept pushing on - ‘no pain no gain’, until I couldn't go any further. I stopped, my legs had turned to lead. I ripped my phone from the arm strap on my right arm and hit 'Stop'. I thought to myself "I smashed it!" I convinced myself that I must have easily run about 7 or 8km, because of the pain and suffering I had experienced. I stood under a tree sheltering from the wind and rain with sweat running into my eyes from under my thick woollen bobble hat, staring at the illuminated screen on my iPhone looking at 'my stats' gasping for air. It read - Time active - 12mins, Distance covered 1.9km. WHAT? How was I supposed to maintain that for another 8.1km to reach my target of 10km???? Could it be done?

I stood there absolutely drained. Absolutely wrecked. I lowered my head and placed my hands on my knees. I could feel my muscles screaming for oxygen and the blood pumping through my veins answering their call. I felt in a world of pain but had I ever felt more alive? NO! I felt amazing! What a buzz! My mind was clear of everything. I focused on what was happening around me. My senses had heightened. I could hear, smell and taste the nature around me. I felt like a superhero. Wow! I began laughing uncontrollably. I was in a state of adrenalin fuelled delirium that reminded me of the buzz of coming off stage after a great gig or the time I consumed shots of vodka through my eye with a crazy South African in Prague (a different story altogether!). I wanted this feeling again! I wanted that pain, that burn, that rush of adrenalin again! I walked back to my car still gasping for air with the biggest smile on my face, thinking 'I can't wait for tomorrow's run!' And that was that. I was hooked.

Since then, everything has changed. I feel like a different person. I approach life with energy and enthusiasm and love to challenge myself to see what I’m capable of. Running has become an essential part of my life. I’ve competed in 10km races, half marathons, multiple marathons, ultra marathons and even an IronMan full distance triathlon (my first and only triathlon). I’ve come a long way.

I'm not a natural runner. It doesn't come easy to me. I have to work hard to go fast or to go far, but I love it. I love the feeling and I love the effects. I run because it fixes me. If I run in the morning, it clears my head and prepares me for whatever is going to happen during the coming day. If I run in the evening, it clears my head from whatever has happened during the day and helps me process and digest everything. It is my medicine. It is my meditation. It gives me the focus and discipline to keep every other aspect of my life in order. Not to mention the physical benefits on your long term health as well. I feel much healthier now.

Running is a vital part of my life. Everyone should do it.