Running: safe to say it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. While there are those who can wax poetic about the infamous “runner’s high” and the joys of such a noble pursuit that requires only your heart and lungs (naturally, a pair of Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT%s don’t hurt), others seem to revile the idea of such vigorous movements only to end up in the place you first started. For anyone that scoffed at the idea of golf (“seriously, what’s the fuss about chasing a ball around all day”), running holds about as much allure as the Year 10 Beep Test, scheduled after lunch where you managed to down an entire bag of hot chips. It’s simply nauseating. If ever there were a time to pick up running though, you could say it’s now. Thanks in no part to the lockdown enforced by COVID-19, people are now looking to get their day’s exercise in on the footpaths and parks as gyms only slowly begin to reopen. One such man that has taken this in his stride is David Beckham.
While Beckham’s forays in the gym and football field might be well known, only recently has the star athlete been showing another side to his fitness routine: running. Like most of us who suddenly found ourselves without a leg press or rack of dumbbells at our disposal, Beckham was forced to look outdoors when lockdown hit and threatened to throw his fitness into disarray. And, since getting into the foot sport of late, he’s wasted no time in celebrating that runner’s high.
Sharing a video to Instagram, Beckham appears in the new Adidas Ultraboost 21 campaign, where he waxes lyrical about the ‘runner’s high’. During the video, Beckham says the endorphins released when running makes “running in the rain feel like running on the beach.”
If any positive has come out of the pandemic-enforced lockdown, it seems to be the renaissance of running. Once relegated to the sidelines, running is now back with the same kind of ‘boom’ that trailed in the wake of Tom Hanks’ renowned jogging efforts in Forrest Gump. A survey conducted by RunRepeat of 4,538 active adults from 122 countries found that exercising outdoors is the most popular fitness trend of 2021, with 59.1 per cent of active adults listing outdoor activities like running and hiking as the best way to achieve their fitness goals this year.
Speaking in the video, Beckham explains: “Versatility in my workouts is so important. Running is something that I’ve started to do more of in recent months and I am really enjoying it. In times like these, it’s more important than ever to make sure that we are looking after ourselves and I have found running to be a way of keeping my mind and body strong.”
And as for the new shoe from the footwear giant that is Adidas, Beckham has only good things to say. A man who casts as fastidious an eye over the style of a sneaker as he does its functionality, Beckham explains that when it comes to the Ultraboost 21, it “looks and feels great, meaning that I’m more motivated than ever to get out and exercise.”
We hear you on that one, Becks.
