Find the Fun in Fit with Savannah Sachdev

Savannah Sachdev is a brilliant sportswoman with an 800+ day run streak, having run marathons and most recently completed an ultramarathon through the Dolomites. In addition to her trackable achievements, on Instagram @savannahsachdev and TikTok @confusedindiangirl, Savannah embraces the need for realistic balance to obtain true fulfilment in life. This is the basis upon which she has founded her predominately female-led running community who run at their own pace and often towards various London “QWUASAANT” spots. Determination, generosity, and patience for oneself (to name a few) define her as a very real and formidable woman. We recently caught up with Savannah to find out what keeps her going. 

Running has become a huge part of your life in the last few years. When did you first get into running?  

I always liked sport; I was a sporty kid. There wasn’t anything I was great at; I was a sort of jack-of-all-trades kid. But I liked playing sports outside with my brother, I went to the gym, I just liked being sporty and moving.  

And incredibly now, you’ve run consecutively for over 800 days! What drove you to begin the running streak?  

It was honestly a complete accident. I had been running and it wasn’t until I was 6 weeks in that I noticed that I had ran every day. Before that point I hadn't labelled what I was doing as a streak, and I wasn’t running with the purpose of it becoming a streak It sort of just happened.  

You have accomplished amazing things; can you tell us about your most difficult run, how did you push through the mental and physical barriers?  

I want to say the Dolomites but that isn't very relatable. But really a lot of my friends don’t realise that I probably struggle with 2-3 of my runs every week. The end goal never changes, it's about moving my body. It's never about what you look like, or how fast you can go. I never check Strava, it's about removing the comparison. If I aim to run a certain distance but if I’m not feeling it that day, I’ll happily run 1 kilometre then walk the rest of the way.  

We love that you’re very honest about days when a long run just isn’t happening and swap it for something more attainable. There is grace and kindness in this honesty, how did you find and implement this attitude into your life?  

Let me think about this question for a minute... We’ve all been harsh on ourselves. It’s about changing your mindset around failing. I think to myself going and trying my best is the next best thing. I always think running for 10 minutes is better than nothing. It's more than some people do at all. I don’t really mind giving myself the space. Grace has allowed me to get to the extent of the streak that I have, without it I wouldn’t have gotten this far.   

What advice would you give someone at the beginning of their movement journey to enable a positive impact on their life?  

Go as slow as you need, don’t look at anyone who's making you feel crap online. Unfollow, remove that completely. You have plenty of time to focus on what makes you happy and what you enjoy, and you should remember that when exercising. 

How important is the connection between movement and the outdoors to you?  

I love it, it's so important to me. Most of the time I’m working from my flat in bed so getting outside is really necessary. I find being outside, especially probably being alone outside is the best for thinking, I feel most confident, most myself and most feminine and able when I’m outside. Yeah, I love it.  

Since beginning your journey there has been immense community growth, do you have a long-term goal for the communal running? 

I think I want to focus more on communal gatherings. I think sometimes running groups can be quite intimidating, so I want to create more safe spaces for girls to be together and move. I have a few ideas of what this might look like. I want to encourage movement because when I started my channel there was no ulterior motive that there can be sometimes, just showcasing movement and going back to basics that you can play and be childlike with this.   

I would personally love to see a Tour de London Croissant marathon in the future, but for now, what are your top pastry spots?  

I love this as an idea, I might have to do this.  

1. I can say this as I’m moving tomorrow but there’s a place super close to my flat in Kilburn called Hart and Lova. It’s all homemade and the pastries are massive, you do have to get there early as it’s a small independent bakery and does sell out.  Home | HartandLova 
   
2. KURO. It is a bit expensive but they’re so good. KURO BAKERY | Notting Hill Bakery Shop — KURO LONDON (kuro-london.com) 
   
3. L’Eto cakes  L'eto | Online Cake Delivery (letocaffe.co.uk) 

And finally, what's next for you?   

I’m moving home tomorrow so my mind is consumed with that right now so nothing drastic for the time being. Maybe actually take a step back and post less about running and post more of my life because I’m aware that it can be a lot for people if I'm posting about it all the time and work with schools. I have done a bit of work in school already, but it would be nice to do some more. Especially working with the young girls getting into fitness.  

Thanks so much to Savannah for taking the time to chat to us, we’re definitely feeling inspired to get out our running shoes. You can follow Savannah here to see what she’s up to and for her latest pastry recommendations.