Tell us a little bit about yourself :)
Kia ora! I’m Abby (Abigail, if I'm feeling formal). I love hiking, gardening and am an obsessive reader - last year I read 56 books! I grew up in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, moved to Tāmaki Makaurau for uni and am now a corporate drone in the CBD.
How did you get into running / what does your running journey look like?
I quit team sports at school pretty quickly (I’m a sore loser and struggle when I think I’m bad at something) so running has always been my go-to type of exercise. Where I grew up in Wellington is beautifully coastal and has some really accessible trails - it is my favourite place for a run and post-run swim.
Until recently, I was a pretty adhoc runner and struggled with motivation. A few things happened last year that flipped how I feel about running:
- I read a book about how movement fires up your brain, it was embarrassingly life changing
- We started a Friday lunchtime run club at work. Sweating with co-workers is humbling but such a great way to get to know each other
- I think running went viral?
- And honestly, I started going to a weekly HIIT class (guess which one) and found it so fun getting fitter and stronger than I’ve ever been.
How did you hear about FAT, do you remember your first session?
Fitness All Together runs corporate classes in my office building. It took many encouraging (and persistent) Teams messages from my co-worker Gary until I eventually braved a class. I was so sore after that I couldn’t sneeze or laugh for the rest of the week, but I’ve been a regular ever since. Classes are great for fitness, but I didn’t realise I’d also get the perk of converting Gazza from co-worker to friend!
You’ve been coming to Road Runners (& or FAT) regularly; what is it about RR/FAT that keeps you coming back?
It makes me feel so good! I think I’m showing up more for the mental benefits than the fitness side of it. I’ve never been a gym goer because I spend too much time inside so being outdoors is a huge bonus for me.
Do you have a running motto or mantra? What keeps you going while you’re running? I heard somewhere that roughly one in every three runs is going to feel awful - so if I’m having a bad run, I tell myself that I dont I hate running, this is just that one in three.
What would you say to someone who is unsure about coming to Road Runners? Running is a pretty high injury risk sport (60% of runners get injured a year) so the strength exercises at Road Runners are super important! Compared to lacing up my shoes and running out the door, I find it so hard to prioritise stretching and strengthening. Book a ticket and all you’ve gotta do is show up!!
Outside of our weekly session, what is your relationship with exercise/movement?
It feels like everyone is moving to London. I’m not quite ready for an international move so instead I’m moving my body really long distances, really slowly - I’ve got the marathon in Nov, am always scheming a tramp or trail run (Aotearoa has so many good GREAT ones) and recently realised how far and fast you can go on a bike.
Could you tell us 3 pieces of advice you would give to someone on their mental and/or physical health?
Running is really not that serious, it can be fun, joyous, silly and kind of gross! I saw a way too hardcore Instagram post once saying “To run is to taste life” ... really I think to run is to occasionally taste a little bit of vomit because you’ve messed up your meal timing.
Mix it up! Repeating the same activities is boring and bad for your body and brain. School kid me would be shocked at the number of things I am now happily mediocre at - last year I learnt to road bike, this year I’m learning ocean swimming!
Couldn’t end this without giving some book recommendations:
- Move! The New Science of Body Over Mind by Caroline Williams (the best book I read last year);
- Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts by Josie Shapiro (the main character runs the Auckland marathon in the book);
- Born to Run by Christopher McDougall (a bit dated but fun);
- What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami (TLDR: Murakami doesn’t run to think, he runs for the absence of thought)