024 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019
ILLUSTRATION: PIETARI POSTIhat are holidays made for? Every year I promise
myself this will be the year my holiday will truly
live up to its name. I will relax and do nothing for
a whole week. I’ll pack a bikini, a vat of sun cream
and a stack of novels, and start each day with an
epic lie-in before bagging a sun lounger by the pool.
Then summer arrives, and once again I find
myself cramming an extensive range of running kit
into my suitcase, along with my wetsuit, bike shoes
and pedals (that’s if I’m not taking the bike itself ) and a selection of portable
exercise tools. Last year, in Greece, I was up by 7am every day to beat the full
force of the sun. I ran 27 miles, cycled 113 miles, swam 3 miles, went kayaking,
waterskiing and paddleboarding, and did core work every day. Not everyone’s idea
of a holiday, but though I came home bodily tired, I was mentally rejuvenated.
It’s easy to underestimate how energising newness can be when you’re
feeling fatigued and jaded. You’re convinced bed rest is what you need, when
maybe it’s simply a new routine – or a new route.
When we are on terra incognita, our senses awaken. The air smells different.
The light looks different. The ground feels different under our feet. In Thailand,
on an early morning run to a temple at the top of a hill, I met a local runner and
ended up having breakfast with him and his family. That was over 20 years ago
and I can still recall the morning mist shrouding the temple’s gilded tower –
and the fiery rice porridge we ate. But I can’t recall our average pace or how far
the run was – which brings me to another good reason to step away from the
familiar. Comparisons become meaningless. You can’t berate yourself for
running your staple five-miler slower than usual when the terrain, altitude,
temperature and elevation are all different.
It’s precisely because they are different that holiday runs imprint themselves
so vividly on our memories. New environments keep our minds and bodies
Qualified as...
...A trail running
first-aider. An
excellent full-day
course with
Challenge First
Aid, which arms
you with the skills
to deal with
first-aid situations
when you're in
the field. Literally.Organised...
...Free running
sessions in the
school summer
holidays for
primary-school
children in Rye,
East Sussex.Ran...
...A new 10K at
the Gusborne
vineyard in Kent.
Drink stations
stocked with
English sparkling
wine were not
the only reason
I entered, honest!sam-murphy.co.ukguessing. You can’t slip into autopilot
like you do on well-trodden routes
close to home; you’ve got to step out
of your comfort zone and experience
something new. Where does that road
lead to? Will I come face to face with
a wild dog/alarmed snake/grumpy
goat if I go along that track? (Unlikely
in Skegness, I admit.) I wonder if
there’s a path to the top of that hill?
All of this, of course, means you
may end up getting lost. If I had a
euro for every holiday run on which
I’ve done just that, I could afford to
upgrade to Strava Summit, and sit
tight in the knowledge that my
husband, Jeff, will always be able to
locate and rescue me. But losing your
way can have its benefits.
Once, I got lost among redwood
groves on the return leg of a run up
Mount Tam, north of San Francisco,
and ended up bearing witness to the
most incredible blaze of sunset over
the Golden Gate Bridge. Another
time, I found myself on the wrong
side of a tall metal fence bordering
sea cliffs in Portugal and had to
summon up every ounce of courage to
overcome my fear of heights and
make my way along the narrow and
vertiginous path.
Holidays force us to change our
habits. And although habits can be
useful (they allow us to get things
done without too much conscious
thought), they can also dig us into
ruts that don’t allow us to challenge
our boundaries, mental or physical.
Your fortnight in Florida or
weekend in Wales provides the
perfect opportunity to push back
against the walls of routine. It doesn’t
necessarily mean packing your
running shoes – as I found in Greece
last year, there are many other ways
to work up a sweat and recharge your
motivation. But then again, those
trusty shoes don’t take up much
space. And who knows what holiday
memories you’ll create together?SUN CREAM? CHECK. BIKINI?
CHECK. RUNNING SHOES...
W
Mu r ph y’s L o r e
BY SAM MURPHY