[Lifestyle] The 13 ways to stay strong and active – from the man who runs a marathon a day

[Blackfire]

 

• Every morning this year, Aaron Robinson has arisen before dawn and run 26 miles before work. He explains how to turn an intimidating exercise plan into a simple habit. 
• By the time you read this, Aaron Robinson will – barring disaster – have run his 75th marathon in 75 days. Aided by his two pace-setters, Inca and River (his border collies), Robinson will have got out of bed around 3am, and completed 26 miles. He’ll probably do the same tomorrow, and the day after that.
• People always ask how many marathons he’ll do, he says. “I don’t know. I’d love to say, especially for fundraising, ‘I’m doing X amount.’ But we’re just doing it day by day. It depends on the dogs and how they feel.”
• But how does he feel? “Doing previous ultra-marathons, the second half you’re often running on ‘tired legs’. I feel like every run now I’ve done on tired legs,” he says. Robinson, 40, who lives in east London, ran 200 miles in three days last year and he has completed many other ultra runs. The daily marathon has been tough, but, he says, it’s also “one of my happiest times of the day, really. I’m an introvert – I love running on my own. It’s my happy place.”
• The 3am start is a necessity, so that he can make it to work on time. Robinson works for the charity Hope for Justice, which campaigns to end modern slavery and supports victims, and for which he is raising money and awareness. “Trying to fight modern slavery can feel overwhelming,” he says, “but each of us can do something, however small.”

 

• Starting in the cold and dark of winter was no deterrent. “I just wanted to do it,” he says. “I’m planning on doing this for a long time, so I’m going to go through all the seasons.” It probably helped to start in the harder months, he adds, so that now he is appreciating the earlier dawns. At the weekend, he had a lie-in “until 5am, and I ran most of the time in sunshine. That was the fastest run I’ve done. It just feels more natural.”
• Whether the rest of us need a push to start exercising, are taking on a new challenge, or want to operate with more grit, determination and resilience, what can we learn from Robinson? He sounds alarmed at the question. “I don’t consider myself an expert,” he says cautiously – and his extreme schedule wouldn’t be recommended by experts. “I can only say what works for me.” The good news: it includes crisps.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/mar/02/13-ways-to-stay-strong-and-active-man-runs-marathon-a-day