'I'm disappointed when I finish my runs now!' Josh Widdicombe prefers running to 'actual life'
Comedian Josh Widdicombe has told how he prefers running to "actual life" after taking up the hobby in the coronavirus pandemic
Josh Widdicombe prefers running to "actual life" nowadays.
The 42-year-old comedian took up running in a coronavirus pandemic lockdown because he felt he "should", but he now feels "disappointed" when his exercise sessions come to an end.
Speaking to Runner’s World UK - https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/josh-widdicombe - he said: "I don’t think many people start running and instantly love it. I used to run because I just felt I should...In lockdown, like a lot of people, I ran because it was time out of the house and I enjoyed that, but again it never really stuck.
"Then there was a total change in my life when I stopped drinking and I realised I was enjoying running to the point where - and this sounds like something my old self would have thought just couldn’t be a thing people actually thought - I’m disappointed when I finish my runs now. I prefer it to my actual life!"
Josh admitted running makes him "feel good", and he finds the benefits to be "exactly the same" as meditation.
He added: "It calms you for the rest of the day. It makes everything easier.
"It makes your family life easier. It makes your work life easier.
"And it’s a good perspective-giver - when you go for a run it makes you care less about who’s doing what show, or whether that’s selling or whatever. But I’d say it’s better generally day-to-day for keeping me calm than as a fix if I’m feeling really anxious."
Josh also told how running can unintentionally be great for problem solving, and going out jogging helps him to stop looking at his phone.
Quizzed on whether he's seen benefits to his physical and mental health from running, he said: "Mental more than physical probably.
"It just clears your head, makes you feel better, makes you feel more positive. Also, it makes you eat much better and eating better makes you feel better.
"I’m really into feeling good from eating. In the past I used to eat stuff that would make me feel rubbish. It sounds like such an obvious thing to say, but running just feeds all-around good habits.
"It’s a virtuous circle. It’s all part of one long, boring circle just trying to get 10 more years out of my life!"
The full interview features in the April issue of Runner’s World UK, out 4 March
