Monthly Archives: January 2017

Club, Runner Of The Month

My Running Mind – January 2017

Runner Of The Month – January 2017

Victoria Hughes

“No gameplan, no goal especially, just a chance conversation with a friend and a need to lose some baby weight in a relatively cheap and convenient way. I soon realised that running and running with a friend gave me a lot more than just that. I couldn’t wait for my husband to return home from work (I know what you’re thinking, but no) so I could get out and run! Don’t get me wrong, I love my family (we all do) and I did get out, it was just different to baby sensory, breastfeeding, talking about childbirth, development milestones, the colour of your baby’s nappy contents and being a Mum. I got out and ran, whilst offloading sometimes or listening to another life outside of my own and always felt better. I have laughed, vented, consoled, reassured, asked for advice and cried on all my social runs. I didn’t know I needed to be ‘fixed’, but running ‘fixed’ me, maybe even prevented me from a more heightened or undiagnosed post natal depression? Who knows? The important thing was I felt better in every sense. Better about myself too. A better Mum.

Soon running became my fix, a bug, a drug even and I was addicted. The company is a free counselling session, free therapy. I had experienced the high and I just wanted more. I was once asked if I was ‘obsessed’ with running, like it was a negative thing. I confidently said yes, I guess I am obsessed. Isn’t that just another word for ‘in love with’ so, yes, running is my thing. No apologies.

StoneMM-lady-bats

I just wanted to run more which meant finding people to run with to get me through the Winter dark nights in safety. A little push from another Mum (Sam Hodgkinson) and I joined a running club. My introduction to the racing calendar and my move to Stone Master Marathoners, has taken my running to a new level, a new high, another social circle and teamwork. Racing provided yet another perspective, another kind of buzz. The sense of achievement took my mind and confidence to another level, a level I didn’t realise I had. The desire to improve became another new feeling. The desire to make my kids feel proud, to set an example of fitness and wellbeing, the desire to aim longer and run my first marathon and raise money for a charity close to my heart.

Ok, so it’s not easy. I’m not a good self motivator. Some (non running) friends will say, ‘it’s easy for you because you run’. It’s not easy, I need a date, a commitment, the need to make it out of the door, so I’m not letting my running buddy down. Sometimes I fall out of love with running, when I’m tired, injured, when I’m training hard or run a ‘bad’ race. A running club or running with friends gives you that push, that push to get out of the door, even when the weather is awful, that commitment, that help to find your love again, a network of support to help find your mojo again, the push to run your first race, even when you’re scared, the support to keep on running.

The first race was easy, by the way. I ran it as a favour and to keep another friend company, I really wasn’t bothered about a time. No pressure, just have fun. The other races weren’t so easy after that! That same ‘bug’ now gives me a sleepless night, a bit of a stressful morning as I try to leave the house on time, nerves on the start line and a much tougher race, both physically and mentally. There is a new pressure now, one I put on myself but my mantra is effectively the same, ‘no pressure, try to enjoy it and do it for those that can’t’. It’s better that I share those nerves and pressure with so many running friends, my running family if you like.

I may fall out of love with running sometimes but I also can’t imagine my life without it. I’m addicted and unashamedly obsessed and Stone MM taught me that this is completely normal, in fact there are members more obsessed than me! Running with my friends keeps me sane, keeps me counselled, they have helped me more than they will ever know. Running is my thing, no apologies.”

Club, Training

An Introduction To Mood And Exercise

An Introduction To Mood And Exercise

The link between exercise and better mental health has long been established, with many clinicians now recommending regular exercise not only to combat low mood and stress, but also as a treatment for depression and anxiety, alongside (but often in place of) conventional medicine. Writing for the American Psychological Association, Kirsten Weir (2011) notes that ‘within five minutes after moderate exercise you get a mood-enhancement effect’. Also, that ‘research shows that exercise can help alleviate long-term depression’. Compelling evidence indeed, and it has been shown that the mood-enhancing properties of exercise are enhanced when we train with others. So that’s why I always feel so good after a club run!

However, although we know that lacing up our trainers and going out for that run is going to make us feel better, it’s not always that simple. Family and work commitments, household chores and general life stress all seem to conspire against us when it comes to establishing or continuing an exercise regime. Here is where routine is key: promising yourself that you’ll keep an hour free on a Wednesday evening for a club run. Or arranging to meet friends for a chatty run (or, indeed, a speed session!) either before or after work, or when the kids have gone to bed.

Yet sometimes, even when we are physically able to go for a run, we can’t bring ourselves to do it. It could just be a loss of ‘mojo’. However, I know of many people (myself included) who suffer or have suffered from crippling anxiety. Unable to train for the sheer worry of what might happen if we step outside the door. Worrying about what people will think if they see you running. Worrying that you look fat in running gear. So what can be done about this? A term often used in modern counselling is ‘self compassion’ – in simple terms, being kind to yourself. To make small and manageable changes. To avoid ‘all or nothing’ thinking. What this might look like in practice: you’ve planned a run for an hour, but really don’t feel like it. So you don’t go at all and tell yourself you are pretty useless for not running. This is an ‘all or nothing’ scenario. The compassionate alternative is to go for ten minutes and see how you feel. Chances are, you’ll want to carry on. If not, you have the option of coming home. You’re still lapping everybody on the sofa.

Part of my remit as a Mental Health Ambassador is to encourage people to share their experiences in a safe environment, knowing that they won’t be judged. This starts with self-disclosure and I hope that some of you will feel able to open up too. There really is no stigma in suffering with ill mental health, and the more we talk about it, the less there will be. Over the coming weeks and months, I’m hoping to start a ‘runner of the month’ feature on the website, where I’ll invite someone to share how running affects their mood. In the meantime…I’m off for a run!

Kathryn xx