The reminder that kept me running…

Runners know one thing for sure.

You can train your body to the moon and back, but there’s always a moment in every race where it’s your head that has to carry you.

Last week I took on my biggest challenge yet, four back-to-back running days in Cyprus, including climbs that would make even the most hill-hungry runner question their life choices.

And whilst my body was holding up fine. There was still that moment when the mental wall slammed down.

On the third day I was running a half marathon. The first eight miles were basically one long uphill. Beautiful, yes… but relentless.

And at some point, the mental wobble arrived right on cue:

How long can I keep this up?
Will my legs blow up before the final climb?
Can I sit in this discomfort for as long as it takes?

That’s when I remembered what a friend on the trip had said to me the day before.

She told me that when things get hard, she thinks about her 20-year-old self… and her 80-year-old self.

The 20-year-old who couldn’t have dreamed of running events like this.
And the 80-year-old who, one day, might not be able to anymore. At least not with the freedom she has now.

And something about that hit me right in the chest.

Because when I pictured my 80-year-old self talking to me, she wasn’t saying “push harder” or “run faster.”

She was saying:
“This is the youngest you’ll ever be again. Enjoy it. Take it in. You are enough.”

And suddenly everything shifted.

I wasn’t fighting the climb anymore.

I was soaking in the view, the challenge, the sheer privilege of being able to do this with a body that’s carried me through so much.

And that part right there, the appreciation, is where recovery comes in.

Because when I got home on Sunday and woke up the next day feeling tired, stiff from the travelling, and a bit “post-event fragile,” I didn’t beat myself up for staying in my PJs until lunchtime.

I didn’t force a run or pretend I wasn’t knackered.

I just let my body be human.

I honoured the effort it had given me.

And then I did the most important thing I could have done for the runner I want to be at 80.

I rolled out my mat and did my recovery session.

Not to tick a box.
Not because I “should.”
But because this is how we keep running.  Not just now, but long into the future.

Recovery isn’t time lost. It’s the bridge between the runner you are today and the runner you want to still be in decades to come.

And that’s exactly why Pilates has become non-negotiable for me, and for thousands of runners like us.

Because it gives your body that chance to heal, repair, and reset after the big efforts and the everyday ones.

So you can get back to the running you love feeling stronger, calmer, and far more resilient.

Want a session to help you?

👉 Give your body the reset it needs today so you can run fresher and easier tomorrow with this short session HERE

Wishing you a wonderful week of running and Pilates,

Liz x