Okay, I know it doesn't look like fun. It’s not balloons and bugglegum and party frocks. It’s not champagne or roller coaster rides or whoopee cushions . It’s running! Plain and simple. Pound, plod, pound. Plod, pound, plod. Nothing more, nothing less.. .
And it’s not always a pretty sight. Like, there you are 45 mins into your run. You’re struggling a bit. Sweat pouring, hair everywhere, face grimmacing, open-mouthed, red-faced and breathless. A passerby could be forgiven for thinking ‘that woman is not having much fun out there’.
And you can guarantee that no one is jamming on brakes, doing a double take and thinking ‘WOW! That looks like fun! Can I do that too?!’ Please. . .
I will agree that, from the outside, running doesn’t look like the most fun activity in the world. And obviously a jog round the block doesn’t compare to a sunny Sunday arvo at the ‘Rainbow’s End’ theme park or a bungey jump off the Skippers Canyon. But there are definitely some fun bits. If you look hard enough!
Not convinced?!
I guess it all depends on your definition of ‘fun’.
My dictionary says ‘fun’ is - Pleasure, entertainment, enjoyment, amusement, gratification, jollification, merrymaking, leisure, relaxation, relief, respite, rest, refreshment, diversion, distraction. Something agreeable and interesting.
Wikepedia says ‘fun’ is: ‘an enjoyable distraction, diverting the mind and body from any serious task or contributing an extra dimension to it.’
That is ‘running’ to a tee! Distracting, diverting and adding extra dimensions!
Whooppee!
“‘Fun’ is obviously a subjective construct,” says Wikipedia. “And psychological studies show that it has been known to affect our perception of time.”
Which is the same as saying - ‘time flies by when you’re having fun.’
And time flies by when you’re out on a run.
But drinking copious quantities of gin and tonic can make time fly by too. As can binge watching Netflix, playing Scrabble and knitting peggy squares.
Does fun have to be funny?!
The jury might be out on this one, especially with regard to running. Although, when I think about it, there is definitely laughter to be had in running.
While it might not provide ideal conditions for full on hilarity (I know it’s pretty hard to get the giggles when you’re ploughing along the harbourside into a head wind, for example). And if you became suddenly buckled up with laughter at the 17km mark of a half marathon they might have to haul you off for some serious assessment.
But running does have a ‘feel good’ factor. And, so long as you don't get your heart rate up too high, there is always room for the odd guffaw.
As a ‘buffer against stress’ running is hard to beat. When everything turns to custard in life the runner always has the option of lacing up her Asics and heading for the hills. Running provides a foolproof escape route and when the kids are out of control and the dog’s misbehaving a gentle jog around the block will always take the heat out of the situation.
Running will also make visiting places ‘fun’.
When we recently visited Rarotonga, for example, I wasted no time in exploring the place on foot. My early morning run helped me find out stuff my travelling companions had no notion of. One, that the place was full of stray dogs who may have been loveable in the daylight but who definitely had a feral side when they discovered strange running women in their midst. Two, that the roads were full of potholes that are quite difficult to see in the dark. And Three. that there was a really nice tivaevae shop just past the sea wall that sold totally gorgeous cushions. Who knew?! And, if I hadn’t been a runner, I wouldn’t have known either!
But wait. . . There’s more. . .
Fun bits to come.. . .
Like the fun to be had in making slow and steady progress. The same fun that comes from knowing that you are getting somewhere by your own efforts. That, step by step, day by day, your body is becoming a slightly more efficient version of itself. . . . There really is a lot of genuine fun to be had in knowing that!
And last, but definitely not least, there is the fun to be had in ‘running weekends’. This is by far and away the ‘funnest’ part of running. It has been my recent pleasure to discover that running provides the perfect foil and the most glorious excuse for a racey weekend. The recipe is simple - Hire a van, get some friends together, sign up for a 10 km run and head off to an exotic (or slightly far away) location. If all goes according to plan you will get the run out of the way by Saturday lunchtime and be able to spend the rest of the weekend celebrating your efforts with champagne and chocolate . . .
Perfect.
And you can’t get more fun than that!
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