The story of Coasting

Running away from your problems doesn’t solve anything – but sometimes it’s more fun than dealing with them.

__

Where was the last place that you visited at the British seaside? Elise Downing has been there. Think of another. She's been there too.

We could play this game endlessly, and wherever you come up with, Elise will have visited. It's a remarkable parlour trick made possible by the fact that she has run the entire coastline of Britain! That's 5000 miles of running, a crazy thing to do when you think about it. Especially as, before she started out, Elise had never run more than a half marathon.

Coasting is the story of how she achieved this remarkable feat simply by placing one foot in front of the other, repeatedly, even when it felt completely impossible.

Fresh from graduating University, Elise was in her first job and first proper relationship, but none of it was making her happy. So, under the influence of the incredible folk of the Yes Tribe, she decided to say yes to running our entire coastline. As you do.

And yet, she struggled with the idea that she was 'doing it right', so persuasive is the macho narrative surrounding adventuring. It felt wrong to be enjoying it or to allow herself to be supported by the kindness of strangers night after night instead of wild camping.

If this strikes you as odd, Elise shares candidly how a big part of the run was helping her unravel her 'brain spaghetti' and get over a relationship with the aptly named Gaslighting Greg.

This turned out to be much more difficult to manage than the daunting challenge of setting out running every morning for 301 whole days, a mammoth task however you try and compartmentalise it.

Elise shares the many highs, along with some tearful lows and colourful introductions to the many people she met along the way, in her wonderful book Coasting.

As we will discover when we catch up with her for our live conversation on 1st September, it was a real turning point that marked the beginning of a life filled with adventure.

__

Start any subscription during August and get a free copy of Coasting with the code FIRSTINK.