Who is The Lanky Runner?
With this being my very first entry, let me take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Tim, and I like to run. I'm pretty tall at 194 cm (6'4"), and pretty lanky, often weighing in around 85 kg or 188 lbs.Generally speaking, I'm a regular, everyday, normal guy. Just, lanky, and running...
You may have noticed I've given you my height and weight in multiple units. This isn't because I'm a math-geek, a lover of numbers, or just someone who likes to show off their knowledge of multiple units of measure - it's because of my background.
Born in South Africa in April of '85 (making me 30 years old as I type this), I spent the first 10 years of my life growing up in my homeland, before my parents dragged me and my two sisters to New Zealand. Both South Africa and New Zealand use the metric system, so when I moved to the U.K. in 2011 for a "change of scenery", I had to adopt a whole load of new units (read: very old and outdated!) for measuring those same things. I now had to pick up miles and mph, feet and inches, weighing myself in stones and ounces. Complex.
However. This is where you, my readers, are lucky: I'll be converting every unit of measure on here to the two main forms - metric and imperial - for your convenience! Lucky you, right?!
So, enough about utilization of variable measurement systems. I've been running for most of my life. When I was in primary, or junior school, I participated in the odd cross-country event, having varying degrees of success. In those early days, even finishing without falling over was a success, and one I enjoyed. As I got a bit older I dropped running, instead taking to the pool for a few years of competitive swimming, before I entered my teens and became "too cool" to exercise (or something to that effect).
I always kept relatively active, but sitting at a desk all day when I started my first full-time job after university was a harsh awakening to the realities of a lack of exercise. As my metabolism was beginning to slow down, I decided to get out and pound the pavements, in a bid to burn off a few of those hard-earned calories and get some fresh air! Living with a bunch of like-minded guys helped spur me on and I was soon looking at entering my first major running event.
In March 2010, I entered the annual Ports of Auckland Round The Bays, taking part with around 25,000 other runners to cover the 8.4 km race along the water's edge in Auckland City in roughly 46 minutes. And that was all it took. I loved it. The atmosphere, the crowds, the sense of achievement. It was only a short run, but I enjoyed it so much that I've continued to keep at my running since then. I've taken part in numerous runs around the world, with the highlights so far being the BUPA Great South Run in 2013 and 2014, and the BMW Berlin Marathon in 2013.
That said, I'm by no means a professional runner, or even a particularly fast one: I simply love to get out and explore the world around me for free, and I've decided to document my adventures on the pavements and pathways around the South Coast of the United Kingdom with the aim of getting others out and about, exploring the world around them whilst keeping fit and healthy.
So, either keep reading and exploring my blog, or get out and start exploring your neighbourhood!
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