Run n’ Roll: who, why, what?

Who am I and why another blog on running?

Hello, I’m Lisa. I was lucky enough to study in many different French and European cities: Grenoble, Paris, Turin, Berlin, Vienna, Madrid and I ended-up in Hanoi for my last exchange semester.

After graduating, I had the opportunity to start working abroad, and quite unexpectedly found myself as an expat in Uganda, East Africa, and after that in Casablanca, Morocco. I now live in Dakar, in Sénégal.

I started running when I was around 19-20 (ah love, you know the story…) and never stopped since then. I added swimming around two years later when I experienced my first running injury and kept it in my sports routine. And then, every time I moved to a new city or a new country, I had the same questions in mind: will it be possible to run there? Where to go? Won’t it be too hot/cold/polluted/congested, will I live close enough to a park, will I find a proper swimming pool close by, will it be accepted to wear shorts for a woman…

After moving in such different places, I can say I accumulated a fair amount of tips and tricks to enjoy running and sports in a variety of climates, topography or cultures. The point of this blog is to share this experience and encourage other expat and traveller runners to do so.

Other (hopefully) relevant things about me include:

• I’m vegetarian and I care for my health and body (but no, I don’t feed myself with fancy kale-moringa smoothies);
• I’m an environmental extremist (hence vegetarianism) and I strive to keep my environmental footprint as low as possible, even when it comes to sports;

I’m not a marathon runner (not yet…), and the purpose of this blog is NOT to talk about performance and how to run faster. It’s rather about how to feel well and safe while doing sports in new and potentially challenging environments, whatever your practice level.

What can you expect on this blog?

What you can find on this blog:

• Practical advice to enjoy your sport while you’re living/traveling abroad: how to adapt optimally to your new running environment? How to survive pollution? How to manage 40°C with 80% humidity? How to run solo safely in your new country?
• Ideas of running routes in the cities I’ve been living in or traveling to: how to find itineraries, how to avoid getting lost, pros and cons of famous running spots…
• An opportunity to exchange your tips from your experience in the country you’re living: I don’t pretend to present an ultimate guide which could be applicable for running anywhere, the advice you will find here are based on my personal experience only. So, if you also have some useful do’s and don’ts, nice running routes, or good swimming spots to share, whether you live in Kathmandu or San Francisco, it’s more than welcome!
• A networking opportunity to find other running addicts, whether expats or travellers, and, maybe, building running and sports communities wherever you live (let’s be ambitious).

What you won’t find on this blog:

• Race reports: as said before, I’m not here to talk about performance and I guess none cares about my results. In fact, moving to a new country or traveling can bring new challenges into your running routine, whether you are a marathon or a Sunday runner.
• Beautiful Instagram-like pictures: I’m not (but really not) a social media-savvy, I don’t have a good camera, and I guess that me running in a yellow fluorescent shirt is not so photogenic nor of essential interest to you.
• Sponsored articles: I’m not affiliated to any brand (still waiting for Asics to contact me if someone passes by…), I don’t promote any particular brand and I don’t make money with this blog. So you won’t be able to get discounts with a RUNANDROLL20 voucher code, sorry.
• Test and revues of running shoes and equipment: I believe that everyone of us has a different body with different needs when it comes to running shoes, and the shoes that suit me may not be adapted to others (I weight under 50kg). I have an “universal” stride, and I prefer light shoes with a low drop, but I know that some runners have specific needs or feel more comfortable with more cushioning. You will have to try what suits you best and make your own opinion on the question I’m afraid.
• “Shop my style” or “I’m wearing”: well, let’s be honest, I have an awful fluorescent t-shirt, some other shirts from official races, a white short I’m still wearing since I’m twelve years old (a bit tight though), and a (probably fake) adidas short found (not stolen I swear) in a hostel in Vietnam. And the most basic legging and jacket you can find everywhere (in Europe at least) when it’s getting cold, but it’s been a while since I last felt cold. Anyway, you will understand that I’m not a fashion addict and I don’t really care about looking good when doing sports.
• Travel guide articles: how to organise your trip to Vietnam, the ten things you have to see in Berlin, what to pack for a safari… I think that you can find plenty of good travel blogs (yes, even Uganda-specific), and Lonely Planet also does the job well.

I know, there are more things in the second list than in the first one, but you can already find all of this on running and travel blogs that look much more nicer than mine. But when it comes to finding your way and survive to your first run in Kampala, who’s gonna help you?

My running destinations