With the Cardiff Half Marathon on the way, RSBP Cymru's Ai-Lin Kee tells us how running brought her closer to wildlife and the great outdoors...
City Slacker to Trail Seeker
For many years, I believed in the cliché ‘you can take the girl out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the girl’. Unfortunately, up until about three years ago, this statement rang true for me. Get wet? Get muddy? Get outdoors? You have to be kidding me. So how did I go from a city slacker to a trail seeker? What happened? What changed?
It began with a vague idea of wanting to get out of the daily grind and get healthier. I had no idea what ‘healthier’ meant. Vaguely, in my mind, it meant not sitting around watching TV. It meant giving up smoking, a habit which was getting quite expensive. It meant doing some form of exercise. Not blessed with the best of hand-eye coordination, jogging (I thought) would be the easiest to do.
So my journey into the world of running began. I thought ‘how difficult can it be, one foot in front of the other?’. No need for gym fees. No need to face the embarrassment of being in a room full of fitter bodies.
Easy it was not.
I remember the breathlessness just jogging down the street where I live. I remember feeling as if my heart was just going to burst out of my chest. It was torturous to say the least. Somehow, for reasons I cannot explain, I kept at it. I believe joining a local parkrun and later a local running club gave me the motivation and inspiration to want to get better. And slowly but surely, I did get better. Running is still not easy - just a little easier each day.
For a while, I pounded pavements, each time wandering further and further away from home. I am privileged to have a great city to run around in - Cardiff, a city that seems to be made for runners. The city is flat with beautiful parks and waterfronts so one has the freedom to roam and feel safe. But for me, making my way each morning through the streets and being part of the city as she wakes, are the special moments of my day.
These early morning jaunts give me a window in the day to observe and experience things that most of us take for granted. I can hear the dawn chorus of birds and I see the people who keep the city clean when most are all still tucked up in bed. I pass delivery trucks unloading supplies to our shops and see the people coming off night shifts to make their way home, wrapped up in their own tired thoughts.
Image: Roath park during a morning run
However, the real discovery came when I attempted my first multi-terrain race. That 6 mile challenge changed my perspective of running, sowing the seeds for things to come. In that race, I remember struggling up a long climb on a narrow country lane. As I got to the top, the view of nothing but hills and blue skies took my breath away. The race continued off -road toward those hills, over muddy marshland. There were sheep grazing along the route. There was a gentle autumnal breeze in the air. The hush, just hearing my own breathing as I picked my way down the hill, felt strangely calming. My daily concerns seemed a world away. I was surrounding by so much beauty. I felt alive.
That experience gave me a taste of what it feels like to run in nature. After that race, I now look forward to opportunities whenever I can to go off and explore new trails.
From a runner’s perspective, I believe running is quite a personal journey. Some, like me, start as a way to get fitter but then develop a sense of competitiveness to go on and achieve personal-best times in races. Some people just run because they have always done so as a child and kept at it; it’s a part of who they are. For me, running has helped test my boundaries, physically and mentally, and has opened up a whole new world. It has helped me discover the simple pleasures of being outdoors. There is a sense of liberation to just lacing up my trainers, packing a snack - and off I go. The only limitation is how far I can physically run before I tire.
It is in my wanders that I discovered the many wonderful woodland trails, coasts and hills that I had taken so much for granted. It’s all free, waiting to be explored regardless of the season. It made me realise how fortunate I am to have all this nature around me. It made me want to encourage others to go out there and enjoy it, to love it and to inspire others to do the same. All because of a pair of trainers many months ago, I have become a trail seeker. I hope there will be others like me, who will discover the wonderful experiences that running can bring.
Whatever your motivation is to run, just get out there. Give it a go. You might find something you like. I promise you, there is a journey of discovery to be had - who you are, what is important to you and what could be waiting for you, should you want to find it.
It really is quite simple. There is a world out there waiting.
Find out more about supporting the RSPB at the Cardiff Half Marathon:
RSPB - Cardiff Half Marathon