A chat with Kaja Milczewska, Run Talk Run Reading
Every week we are chatting to a runner in the Run Talk Run community. This week we have had the pleasure of speaking with Kaja Milczewska who runs and leads with Run Talk Run Reading…
Tell us a bit about your running and/or mental health journey so far
Running has become a sort of therapy and source of focus during difficult times over the last couple of years. I am a PhD student - currently in my final year! - so things can get incredibly stressful, and especially so when imposter syndrome kicks in. Going out for a run enables me to reset, deal with anxiety, find some time to gather my thoughts, or just to concentrate on my breathing. It helps me get rid of accumulated negative energy, leaving me more peaceful afterwards. It hasn't always been like this though. Running started off as a toxic activity when I was an undergraduate student, which led to over-exercise and fed my eating disorder. It was an excuse to sort of beat myself up for not doing so well in uni work. That was over 6 years ago now - long before I luckily found my feet on healthy, nourished ground and some wonderful people that came along with it! After many ups and downs, I now run for the joy of it, knowing also that my body and mind are better off for it. It is amazing what your body and mind can achieve when you give it some kindness. Today, I am one of three Run Talk Run leaders in Reading!
What brought you to Run Talk Run specifically?
I came across Jess Robson (RTR founder) on Instagram, sometime in early 2019. (Not sure how, but social media has these weird and wonderful algorithms, which sometimes prove useful and sometimes less so!). I decided to give her a follow, as I found that my thoughts resonated with many of the things she talked about in her captions. I loved the idea of using gentle running as a medium to hold meaningful conversations with people you don't yet know. I really do find that sometimes it's easier to spew out about life troubles with people you don't really know, or know at all, than friends you've known for years. At this stage, Reading RTR hadn't existed yet, but I was too anxious to message Jess to ask if I could start one - imposter syndrome strikes again! But, as if by miracle, a few weeks later it was announced that Reading RTR was due to be born! I plucked up the courage to go along one evening, and never looked back.
In what ways does running (and RTR!) help you?
Not wanting to repeat what I wrote in the first paragraph, I'll keep this part specifically about RTR! Over the past year or so, I have made some truly awesome friends I would have never even met, had I not attended that first RTR. Facilitating the birth of my new-found external support network - made of like-minded runners of all ages and diverse walks of life - is something I want to thank RTR for. I also really enjoy the consistency of the event being held at the same time and location each week. It fuels my need for routine, which keeps me calm.
What would you say to someone who was nervous about coming to a Run Talk Run?
That's totally normal, I think that most of us were nervous before attending that first run - I certainly was! But as soon as I was greeted by two smiling faces of the leaders, my nerves dispersed. Somehow, I knew instantly that I was in exactly the right place at the right time. And if you decide to come along: you will be, too.