In Lockdown With Bella #6

In Lockdown With Bella is a series of blogs from members of Bellahouston Harriers aimed at providing an insight into running life during the coronavirus pandemic.

Five other blogs are already on the website.

In this blog entry, junior member Joseph Macnamara details his active lockdown routine, past president Emily Jackson explains how a change from running can be as good as a break, and Bella's own Mark Kermode, John Cunningham reviews running-themed movie 'Unbroken'.

By Joseph Macnamara

During lockdown I have not been able to go to any clubs so this is what I have been doing instead:

I have done running sessions with my mum on some Tuesday and Thursdays. We run up hills, do sprints, 400 metre loops, stairs and hills with lots of daffodils, so don’t go there if you have hay fever.

I have run the daily mile every morning with my big sister Ella. We try our best to change the route every time so it doesn’t get boring.

I play penalties with my parents in the garden. Please note: diving on fake grass is extremely sore so don’t try that at home.

After our run Ella and I go for a 5 kilometre walk with our Dad who walks fast so he gets some peace and quiet. This is followed by 3 hours of homeschooling with the strictest teacher you’d ever imagine.

By Emily 'Jacko' Jackson

At the start of lockdown, I felt like any runner - a bit confused, how would it all work with exercise, and was as pleased as punch when running was one of the outside endeavours that was allowed.

I bent the rules slightly and went out at 6am in the morning, and then took my two girls a walk later in the day. I credit not going slightly mad, to still being able to enjoy a short run by myself where I saw no one and had some 25 minute “me time”.

Fast forward a few weeks, and the early rises started to wane, and I began to lose my mojo for running. I don’t mind running myself and have done so in the past with marathon and half marathon training, however I was starting to miss the company big time. So, I decided to do something else.

I joined the social media bandwagon and started tuning into Courtney Black each morning and doing a HIIT (high-intensity interval training) session with around 12,000 others – no longer was I lonely, and also the different exercise gave me a much-needed boost.

This experience has shown me that it’s good and healthy to change up your routine, and although I love running and can’t wait to get back to the club, I no longer feel the same pressure to maintain a certain number of miles per week, and know that I can listen to my body and decide to do something different when I want.

Now when I do go a shorter run, I do it when I want to and no longer feel it as a chore, which in turn will get me into a great mindset when we can meet up with others eventually and enjoy group based training.

By John 'stretch' Cunningham

Movie Review – Unbroken (Director: Angelina Jolie, 2014)

Louis ‘Louie’ Zameperini may not be the first name that springs to mind when we think about Olympic athletes, but his life story may be one of the most compelling. Thankfully, it has been recorded in book and film, including ‘Unbroken’, Angelina Jolie’s second directorial piece. As well as Jolie, Hollywood heavyweights the Coen Brothers contributed to the writing of the movie.

The film begins in frantic fashion, on board the B-24 where Zamperini is a bombardier. The crew battle in desperate fashion in the skies over the Pacific to repel an attack by Japanese fighters. The pacy direction and stunning CGI make for a thrilling opening scene, following which we learn more about young Louie’s life; his brushes with the law as a kid and his redemption through athletics with the encouragement of his older brother.

\e witness Louie as he progresses from a schoolboy athlete, culminating in his selection for the USA team at the now infamous 1936 Berlin Olympics.

The story then returns to wartime, and disaster strikes when Louie’s bomber is shot down over the Pacific, with the survivors spending an incredible 47 days adrift in rubber dinghies. During that time, they fend off shark attacks, are strafed by enemy aircraft and survive on raw fish caught from the surrounding waters. Salvation appears to arrive in the shape of a passing ship, however it turns out to be an enemy patrol boat and yet another nightmare begins.

Zamperini and his fellow POWs are held in dreadful conditions and forced to labour under a brutal regime. Zamperini in particular is singled out for harsh treatment at the hands of the camp commander known as ‘The Bird’.

The film ends with the liberation of the camp as WWII draws to a close, however it is well worth researching Zamperini’s life beyond this as he finds redemption through forgiveness for the brutality meted out by his captors.

All in, a very enjoyable film with further rewards for anyone who is inspired to find out more about the life of a remarkable man.

I watched the film on Netflix, but I have a brand new copy on DVD to give away to someone who can answer the following question correctly:

Louis Zamperini competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the same USA team as legendary athlete Jesse Owens. How many gold medals did Owens win at the 1936 Olympics?

I’ll pick one winner at random from the correct answers. Good luck!