Cederberg, 31.12.2024, by Simon Pocock

Running

Since my mid twenties (and moving to South Africa) I've gone from not running at all, content with a 10km, to reluctantly running the Two Oceans 56km. Nine years later I have done 40+ races, some over a 100km at a time.

But, for much of my life, I believed that I was not capable or suited to running. It was something other people did. But it wasn't for me, or rather I wasn't the sort of person who could do those things.

It turns out I am the sort of person who can do those things because everyone can; you just have to want to.

Running is the best tool I've found for pushing myself and growing in a very raw way. There is nowhere to hide. You can only get out what you put in—there are no quick fixes, hacks, or overnight success. You set a goal, and you go after it.

It's completely changed my understanding of what I am capable of.

Although the obvious output is athletic performance, I love running because ultimately it is a mental game. Can you train in the dark when it's easier to stay in bed? Can you push in the final stages of a race when your body is screaming at you to stop? It's my favourite part about it and really the only part I'm any good at.

As it drew me in, and I started doing races, I loved the challenge of the longer distances because this is where the mental game really counts. I am on a journey to answer the question; how far can I go on my two feet? I'm up to 107km, but that hasn't answered it…

I love the contrast between trail running and road running so I regularly switch goals. Although they both require a volume of training there are such big differences.

Road running is so precise. It's intense. Margins of error are small. Massive improvements can be represented in seconds or minutes. And you're usually done by lunch.

Trail running requires a different approach. It's the resilience to keep going, however slow, and the ability to problem solve on the go that can make the most difference. It's (often) longer, slower, and in nature. You might need a head torch.

But both are challenging (and immensely fulfilling), and that's what I like.

It's a great tool for immersive exploration. You can cover in hours what takes days to hike; getting deep in the wilderness, fast. I've lived in nine different Cape Town suburbs and run almost 15,000km around them - helping me see all sides of the city's character. When I've travelled it's allowed me to check out the Golden Gate Bridge or Hollywood sign before breakfast. While a locally guided 30km loop around Shanghai showed me more of the city in a morning than you could in a week.

What have I learnt from running?

• How to set a long-term goal and work backwards so you know what to do tomorrow.
• It's all about process over outcomes and in the same vein, consistency over perfection; no one workout is really going to make that much difference. It's about being able to keep showing up, week after week.
• Believing in the above when there are inevitable setbacks and detours along the way.
• How far determination and hard work can get you. To be world-class there is probably a strong genetic or talent component at play, but for most of us, huge progress can be made through consistent hard work.