What is it that compels runners to strap on their trainers and hit the road after a long day at work, sweating it out while everyone else is at home, feet up on the couch?

There’s not much that runner Michelle Damand can point to in life that excites her as much as a good run multiple times a week.

Driven to find out exactly what makes running so enticing and addictive, the Running Together blog was born, chronicling the many curious running stories of her fellow Run Zone West Rand (RZWR) club members.

I’ve wanted to start a blog for quite a few years. I love researching running-related stuff and sharing what I’ve learnt. The blog focuses more on the club, its many different runners, where they come from, how they started out, and their running goals for the future,” explained Michelle.

Seeing her out on the road at least five times a week, you’d think she’s been running professionally her entire life. “I started running in January of 2019. I’m not in a league to run competitively,” she said with a chuckle.

“I run for the fun of it and for the health benefits.” It’s one thing to go jogging just to get out, relax and feel better in general, but Michelle doesn’t just stop there. In the past two years and a couple of months since she started, she has competed in multiple big and small races.

“The biggest race I’ve ever participated in was the Two Oceans Half Marathon in April 2019. I wasn’t near ready and might’ve been a tad too ambitious. I missed the three-hour cut-off time by two minutes, and came back home without a medal.”

Her biggest accomplishment to date, she explained, was finishing 32 kilometres in the RAC 20 Miler virtual race last November. She posted an average pace of 7,17 minutes per kilometre with a final moving time of 03:53:09 hours.

Surprisingly, Michelle wasn’t much into sports in her school days and had focused on academics. Now, at age 25, fitness has taken over most of her life. She does CrossFit on the side once a week, but admits it’s purely to strengthen her body to help her run further, longer and faster.

“I’m currently training for my first marathon, the virtual Joburg North City Marathon,” she explained. “I hope to finish in 4,45 hours.

The biggest obstacle is making time, especially during the week and finding someone to run with. I wake up at 3.30am for my weekday morning runs. Training for a marathon requires a lot of kilometres and time in your running shoes,” she added.

Since January 2021, Michelle has written 10 long-form articles on the Running Together blog.

She admitted that, “Writing and publishing these articles is still nerve-wracking! I don’t have a writing background, and I think this amplifies my insecurities. I try not to focus on the elite runners but the everyday runner. I believe this motivates new runners and is proof that you can achieve anything you put your mind to.”