They say that creativity can strike at any moment. For me, it’s halfway around the boating lake in Crystal Palace Park, running a 5K loop with no music playing in my ears, just the sound of my breath and trainers pounding the path. It’s during runs that I’ve had some of my most creative thoughts: the killer question I'm going to ask in a celebrity interview; the elusive ending to a long read I’ve not quite finished; or the final touch to an outfit I haven’t yet mastered. The answers have all been found while running.
Exercise has always been about more than just the physical gains for me, and running, which I’ve been doing every week since I was 16, has become something close to an addiction; a mental health requirement that keeps me balanced and clear-minded. When I’m not running in my local park, I look on enviously at the people completing their circuits, jealous of their inevitable runners’ high, plotting when I can next make it out.
Rather than migrate to a gym in colder months (no lightning-bulb idea has ever struck me on a cross trainer), I prefer heading outside to run – the icy air hitting my lungs and flushing my cheeks. I love watching as the seasons change on the ancient oak trees, taking in the different smells and colours as the year rolls by.
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Running in nature gives me the escape and space that my whirring brain needs to reset and let new thoughts and possibilities in. I was once told after some diagnostic tests at a very exclusive and very macrobiotic health spa that I get a lot of energy from moving my body: so the more I move, the more energised I feel. This has stayed with me, especially in those moments when slumped behind a laptop waiting for creativity to hit and then finding a blast of inspiration while out running.
There’s also no doubt that getting out for a run is harder when it’s cold and dark, but the age-old tip of leaving your kit out the night before has stuck for a reason: it works. And lululemon is my staple throughout the year: the clever hand covers that are built into the Define jacket, which keep my fingers from frostbite; the reflective detail that ensure I stay safe on evening runs; and the lightweight Swiftly tank tops that keep me cool in the summer. Not to mention the colourways and unique designs that satisfy my style-conscious side.
When I need a bit of comfort and encouragement, I’ll opt for my faithful Fast and Free leggings, and when I need to run for longer, I’ll wear a pair of Swiftly mid-rise shorts, which, incidentally, have come on many a holiday with me in case there’s an opportunity to run while discovering a new destination. Because that, for me, is the joy of running: you can do it all year round, anywhere you want with the right trusty, comfortable kit. And you never quite know when that great creative idea will catch up with you and set a new pace.
