Recovering alcoholic and running

Kate turns 80 this year. Together with her sister Hilary and their friend Ros, who are both in their 80s, they have formed a  highly personal running group called The Old Crones. A lifetime of friendship and around 40 years of shared running experience are membership requirements.   The Old Crones  are a very exclusive group indeed. 

Through their group,  The Old Crones share their runs, provide support and encouragement and meet up at events when they can. They now live hundreds of miles apart, but keep in touch through their exclusive What's App group of three.

 "We may be shuffling along slowly but we can still do it," smiles Kate. "So while we can, we do."

Diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes, running three times a week, is an essential part of Kate's physical health too. She also does pilates and has recently started Tai-Chi.

Kate  watched the first London Marathon in 1981 and remembers her friend saying then that it would be wonderful to do the race. "At the time, I thought 'What! I can't think of anything wonderful about that'...but something stayed with me...and then when it became a race anyone could do...not just elite runners...I thought well...yes."

Kate has completed the London Marathon and numerous Great North Runs with her son Nick, who loves running too, although he  is somewhat faster than his mother. "In fact the last time  (we did the Great North Run), he was back home in the hotel having a shower before I'd even started," she laughes. 

Kate is a passionate advocate for ParkRun, with its motto of Movement For Everyone. We both agree, this movement has widened the joy of running to a whole new audience and Kate does her local ParkRun at Wycombe Rye most weekends. And when she doesn't run, she volunteers.

"Anyone can go...It's very inclusive," says Kate of the ParkRun movement. "There are no judgements. It's terribly encouraging and doesn't cost you anything."

When asked why she runs, Kate said: "I'm not a natural runner at all, but I think you owe it to your body to do it and, even if you have to drag yourself out on some days,  you definitely feel better when you get back," she smiles.

 

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My guest today on Why Run? is Hasan, who works in finance - a career renowned for its high pressure and stressful lifestyle. In 2010, Hasan quit a job after months of long hours, little managerial support and mounting corporate demands . At the time, he had no other job to go to, but knew that 'a line had been crossed' and that he needed to leave work if he was to protect his mental health.

In 2017, a friend Hasan hadn't seen for many years commented that he had "ballooned", as a result of his lifestyle. At the time, Hasan said that the comment 'cut him to the heart', but it was the wake-up call he needed to start addressing his physical and mental health.

Hasan started walking and trained for the 70k Cancer Research UK - London to Brighton ultra walk. Always one for a challenge, Hasan completed the event in 33 hours. He then took up running.

In 2019, Hasan was made redundant and says that running coming into his life was a blessing, which has help sustain him through the challenges he has had to face. Not only did Hasan lose his job, but the consequences of Brexit and then COVID, made it impossible for him to find a new job. When he had been out of work for six months, Hasan and his wife found out that they were expecting a baby. It was an extremely worrying and distressing time for him and his family.

'Running became a big thing for me (at this time),' said Hasan. 'I'd go for a half hour run and clear my mind and get away from job applications and just come back refreshed.'

Today, Hasan has run five marathons; organises a lunchtime running group at his workplace; and is part of various running movements, including: Adidas Runners,  Muslim Runners, parkrun and the Run Grateful movement 

With so many people facing extreme work pressures at the moment and suffering from burn out, Hasan's story is particularly poignant and has valuable pointers for those seeking to manage work pressures.

Instagram - thechallengerinme

Thank you for listening today.
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Mark White founder of  Run Grateful - a movement that links gratitude with movement. 

On this episode, Mark candidly shares his story  of how he went into rehab for drug and alcohol dependency at  the shockingly young age of 18. At the time, he didn’t want to go, but once there, rehab gave Mark the opportunity to reboot his life: to get clean; to make new friends; and to learn about the importance of gratitude.
 
Mark started running more than ten years ago and, over the years, has consistently used  running as an opportunity to meditate about gratitude. Like me, Mark has experienced serious ill-health, having once been so ill he was in hospital with pleurisy and pneumonia and unable to get out of bed. The fact that he recovered and his body is now strong and healthy is something he often returns to when he 'runs grateful'. 

Today Run Grateful is a movement that inspires runners (and walkers) around the world. The concept is simple: when you go for a run or walk, dedicate a mile to someone or something that you are grateful for in your life.

At the heart of Run Grateful is the importance of how hope is vital element in our lives - however difficult times may be - and how focusing upon all the good things in our lives that we are grateful for, can transform our mood and state-of-mind. 

 During lockdown, Mark launched a phenomenal personal challenge. He ran a mile -  every hour - for 24 hours and  dedicated each of his runs to something or someone, he was grateful to have in his life. His posts and the stories around them attracted worldwide attention and now runners in more than 80 countries have connected with the Run Grateful movement.
 
Mark is also host of the Move with Gratitude podcast which can be found on Spotify, Apple podcasts and all podcast providers.

Instagram - 1gratefulrun
YouTube - Run Grateful
Facebook - Run Grateful

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
Follow @whyrunpodcast on Instagram and Facebook
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In her 30s, Annie Simpson experienced  birth and loss - both of which have very much influenced how she approaches life today.

Desperate for a baby, Annie  was told  by her consultant in her mid-30s that the only treatment for her fibroids was a hysterectomy. Annie loved children, had always dreamt of becoming a mother, and the thought of infertility was devastating.

"Every time someone got pregnant, I'd get tearful and think 'why not me?' 'what have I done?' and it got to the point where I just felt my body was letting me down."

A second medical opinion gave Annie hope and after successful surgery to remove her fibroids, Annie became pregnant. However shortly after receiving the joyful news , Annie found out that her  mother had terminal breast cancer. She died after a brief illness.

"My mother-in-law said that she was really worried my little boy would come out crying, as I grieved so much during my pregnancy. But if anything, it's made him strong... he's quite a strong little boy."

Life brings many challenges ...more as time passes...and how we come to terms with the painful and distressing experiences in our lives has a huge impact upon our mental and emotional well-being today.

In her early 40s,  Annie started walking to be more active. A keen track and field athlete in her teens, Annie was aware that movement could help her physical and mental health. It was also to give her some "me time" from a busy life teaching and bringing up small children. Within a year, Annie decided to complete the Couch to 5k. Running on her own, Annie didn't see any other black women on the streets and connected with Sabrina Pace-Humphreys of Black Trail Runners and then Tasha Thompson of Black Girls Do Run Uk (BGDRUK), movements aimed at increasing black women's representation in running.

Within a year of taking up running, Annie completed the London Marathon and numerous other races.  She is now having swimming lessons - as she  never learnt as a child. This is because she wants to complete her first triathlon this year.

Dressed in bright, colourful outfits and full of kindness and encouragement, Annie has now become a mental health ambassador for BGDRUK and is using her fortysomething energy and outlook to support others. She has also started personal coaching and is aiming to complete more than 19 events this year.

"You've only got one life. Make sure you're living it for you - (whatever your age). When I turned 40, my perspective really changed revealing more to me about life. We have to be brave enough to take the first step."

Instagram: Coach_anniebee
Facebook: SweetSimpson
Linktr.ee: Coach_anniebee

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
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At the end of 2021,  life took a dramatic turn for Jen and her family when her five-year-old  son Eashan started to lose his sight. After extensive tests and an emergency scan, Eashan was diagnosed with a chromozone disorder - neurofibromatosis  or NF-1, which will make him susceptible to internal tumours growing within his nervous system for the rest of his life.  The reason Eashan was losing his sight was because he had a tumour on his optic nerve. 

For 18 months,  Eashan is having regular chemotherapy to reduce the tumour. Coming to terms with Eashan's diagnosis, supporting him through his treatment and continuing with family life has required strength that Jen didn't know she had. During this time, Jen has turned to running as a coping mechanism. She says that when she goes for a run, it  is as "a pause button" on her extremely stressful and worrying life.  She  says that, without running, she  would be in a very dark place.

Whilst Eashan is having chemo, Jen has committed to run 100k a month..sharing her experiences and achievements on Instagram at : mother_wren_runs.

Jen also ran the Great North Run last year, raising £5,000 for her son’s oncology ward at Nottingham Hospitals charity. 

Listen to her story now. 

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
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My guest today is Vicki, who developed an eating disorder  in 2011.  This was a particularly busy and stressful year for Vicki with lots of changes going on in her life. She moved area, she got married, she started a new job and she struggled to cope with all the changes. Initially, restricting her eating and focusing upon food gave Vicki  a sense of control over her life, but it wasn’t long before she realised the eating disorder was controlling her and not the other way round. 

Vicki struggled with her eating disorder  for seven years with it resurfacing after the birth of each of her two children. In 2017 she was diagnosed with anorexia. Fortunately she was able to access support and received treatment as a day patient at a specialist eating disorder service. 

1n 2019, Vicki decided to start running. Her family were concerned that it could be a new purging activity to control her weight, but instead, it has transformed her life. It’s given her strength, a sense of fulfilment and friendship through her running group the Chippenham Harriers. 

This year, Vicki says, life came full circle when she ran her first marathon – the  London Marathon  - raising funds for Oxford Health, the charity that supports the specialist eating disorder service where Vicki was treated. 

This is a particularly poignant interview for me, for as some of you know, I had an eating disorder and was bulimic during much of my teens and 20s and this is referenced in the interview. ..because we do share common ground in some ways. And like Vicki, running is a key part of my relationship with my body today – but in a really positive way.  

TW - Issues around eating and eating disorders are discussed in this show.  for any of you out there struggling with eating issues at the moment.

You can follow Vicki on Instagram @vickidoesnotlikehills 

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
Follow @whyrunpodcast on Instagram and Facebook
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Jane Dennison is the founder of a running club for beginners in Manchester called the Mile Shy Club. She is passionately committed to helping others to discover the benefits of running and walking - because running has been such a vital part in her own mental health journey.

 When Jane was younger, she experienced profound poverty, loneliness and depression. As a teenager, she was homeless and lived on and off the streets for several years before being  hospitalised at 18 due to mental overload and exhaustion.

Jane is diagnosed with gerneralised anxiety which, today, still impacts on many aspects of her life. Yet while it can be exhausting and stressful, it's also  - as you will discover - what has given her the drive and determination to achieve so much in her life. 

 Jane started the Mile Shy Club to encourage and support people who don’t exercise to have a go at running. The club has been phenomenally successful and is constantly expanding. It now includes five running groups, six walking groups, and has won awards for innovation, best coach and best club.  Jane also runs a group for people with disabilities – which includes mental health issues.

At the Mile Shy Club, everyone receives a warm welcome and no one gets left behind. ‘Everyone gets a hug if they want one,’ says Jane . This is because there are so  many people who can go years without human warmth or connection – as Jane knows from her own experience. 

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
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 Tony started running in his mid-40s to improve his physical health and fitness...only to discover he was rather good at it. Having always been competitive, he was soon entering events and went on to complete marathons in under three and a half hours.

 Five years ago though, Tony experienced a sharp pain in his groin and on investigation, was told that he had terminal prostate cancer and was given two years to live, as the cancer had spread to his spine, neck and skull.

 Such profound and devastating news changes life forever. Learning to live with prostate cancer…with the side effects of his treatment (which is basically chemical castration)… and finding any purpose in living….has not been easy. 

 With counselling and the support of his family, Tony has had to completely reshape his approach to life. He takes every day as it comes,  lives every day like it’s his last and does all he can to help others.

This year, he is running  5k every day of the year to raise awareness of the importance of movement when you have cancer and is raising money for the MOVE charity. He has also completed many other fundraising initiatives to raise money for prostate cancer and causes promoting movement.   

Since being diagnosed, Tony has also given hundreds of  talks about prostate cancer and the importance for men aged 50 and over (45 and over if you are Black or have a family history of prostate cancer) to ask their GP for a PSA test.

Most of all, running helps Tony with his own mental health. Struggling with the side-effects of medication and his prognosis, running helps Tony clear his mind and re-energise.  "I force myself to go out (for a run) and once I get back from my 5k, it lifts the veil of fatigue and I feel rejuvenated for the next four to five hours."

You can find out more about Tony on Twitter @ethansgrumps
Facebook as Anthony Collier
Instagram as tonyendurancerunner
#movewithtony
To make a donation, visit Tony's JustGiving page at: 5k365days 

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
Follow @whyrunpodcast on Instagram and Facebook
And if you've enjoyed the show, do please leave a review and tell your friends.

Nita started running about ten years ago at the age of 48. At the time, she was severely depressed and found it difficult to even summon energy to get dressed or clean her teeth. It took Nita 20 weeks to complete the nine-week Couchto5k programme, but she did it! Since then, Nita has gone on to complete many long distance events, including half-marathons, marathons and ultra-running events.

Nita is diagnosed with  bi-polar disorder and and she now describes running as one of the key elements in her self-care "toolkit". The other elements are: meditation, writing and medication.

This week, Nita has published her second book  Make Every Move A Meditation - Mindful Movement for Mental Health, Well-Being and Insight (2022). The book brings together Nita's running, writing and meditation practices.  For too long, she says there’s been a focus upon the need to take time out to meditate, whereas in reality, meditation on the move really does make sense. Particularly when it is applied to daily activities and fitness – including running.

Like Why Run? host Diane Church, Nita loves to run with her Labrador dog, who is called Scarlet. He has his own hashtag #ninetyninepercentgooddog . Nita Sweeney's first book is Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink (2019).

In today’s interview, Nita talks about a lonely childhood, a successful career in law that didn’t ultimately fulfil her, her bi-polar and how running and meditation help her manage life today. “I’m not cured” says Nita, "but running definitely helps keep me alive".

Trigger warning - please note that there are references to suicide in this interview.

Facebook @nitasweeneyauthor
Instagram @nitasweeney

Check out Nita's full story here   

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
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As a boy, Shakil was obsessed with football. He loved to play, but was routinely overlooked and excluded from playing for his community team. The criticism and rejection led to feelings of low self-worth and he lost a lot of confidence.

In his mid-20s, Shakil's friend introduced him to running. "I used to think it was boring, but it's changed my life."

Shakil says the difference between the football and running communities is like "the difference between night and day". Through Adidas Runners, Shakil has found encouragement, support and gone on to run in numerous Adidas events across Europe. This week, he is running the London Marathon 2022.

Adidas Runners describes itself as"  is an international community comprising people from different backgrounds and walks of life, united by a desire to become better: better runners, better athletes and, ultimately, better humans."

Running has also given Shakil the confidence to pursue new opportunities. He is now  a coach  /sports teacher at two primary schools in a deprived part of south London. He has also volunteered at major sporting events, including the Women's Euros this year.

Running has given Shakil has  purpose, confidence and he is an  inspiration to others. 

Check out Shakil's full story here   
@Whyrunpodcast on Instagram and Facebook
@shak_active Instagram 
Uneven Playing Field - Interview with Shakil about disadvantage in sport at: www.outdoor and active.com
For further information, visit: www.whyrun.uk

Thank you for listening today.
For more details on Why Run? visit: www.whyrun.uk
Follow @whyrunpodcast on Instagram and Facebook
And if you've enjoyed the show, do please leave a review and tell your friends.