Like Tom Vickery, I am also in the midst of a running streak – in my case of nearly nine years (Don’t break the streak! How a daily ritual can enrich your life – or become an unhealthy obsession, 8 September). I too have gone out for a short jog after a hard day cycling, or woken at 5am for a run because I wouldn’t get another chance that day.
I see it no differently to brushing my teeth or making my bed – a healthy habit that instils something positive in every single day. My brother, on the other hand, thinks that I have ruined running for myself by making it compulsory. I disagree – I still take immense pleasure in the great runs, even if they are scattered among perfunctory ones. It isn’t compulsory – it’s a choice I make every day, and my streak is something I have achieved through dedicated effort and take pride in.
I have taken a flight to Indonesia, and can reassure Tom that it is possible to get a good hour of running in by visiting every gate of Singapore airport on the layover.
Lawrence Harris
Carmarthen
Mention of Tom Vickery and the extraordinary lengths he goes to to achieve his daily 30-minute run reminded me of when we went on safari for two weeks and I was training hard for the London marathon.
I perfected the art of running on the spot on the veranda of our safari lodge for hours on end rather than take my chance with the wildlife marauding outside. I am still doing 5km every day eight years later, running on the spot, as I did on the cross-Channel ferry last week.
David Whitney
Hathersage, Derbyshire
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