Exercise has been part of my life for a very long time on some level, but mainly within team sports. After a longterm injury playing rugby Running was the only activity at the time that my injury could tolerate – yuck! As a team sports player, the idea of running consistently for any length of time was just – NO! I laugh now but my very first running blog was actually, ‘I hate running’!
8 years on and I am still here, running and trying many types of racing from 5km to marathons to ultra marathons and multi-day events. I am very much a middle of the pack runner, I feel incredibly lucky to have taken on a variety of obstacle races including the original Tough Guy, the Marathon des Sables in 2016 to raise funds for a Dundee Mental Health Charity, the West Highland Way Race in 2017 as well as others.
My running adventures have allowed me to open the conversation around mental health in Dundee in schools, organisations, businesses and the community. Running and physical activity help me on so many levels to manage my mental illness from giving me head space to getting me out into green space, seeing the natural world, not to mention the sense of achievement.
Building toward 2020 I am taking on my biggest challenge – #2020runnorthsea I will be running the whole North Sea cycle route in 100 days, 3,455.5 miles on foot! Please do give me a shout if you would like to join me for a section.