When lockdown was announced by Boris Johnson in late March, I made a decision about goals and the way in which I would spend my time during the upcoming period of social distancing, and a very different way of life. I felt that the choice was stark: sit in and watch TV shows on my sofa, eat and drink to excess or get out and exercise, using the designated daily time allowances. It wasn’t really a difficult choice for myself. I’ve always been an active person, and, as my years continue to accumulate and my metabolism slows, I’m growing more conscious of the effects of being idle.
The perfect way for me to use the time was to dedicate my free time to running. When I was younger, I saw running as a necessary evil. Something I’d do to get somewhere in a hurry, or part of trying to gain possession of the ball during a game of football, but not an activity for enjoyment. As my football involvement declined, I’d made tentative efforts to become a regular runner, taking part in some park runs and a 10k race. I picked up a fractured bone in my leg two years ago and, shortly afterwards, my daughter was born. Legitimately sidelined for a while, I now had an ideal opportunity to get involved again, and I decided to build up gradually and do it properly. I had no specific goals in terms of time or distance but I wanted to get fitter and to push myself.
The first motivational tool I put in place was joining Strava. This allowed me to track my runs, giving a geographical record of where I’d just been, with time and distance. Using a GPS watch, which had been a present from my wife, I had a way to record this data. I now had someone to compete against - friends who were also on there, as well as my own records - and I found this instantly made me driven to improve. My first weeks contained a series of 5 kilometre runs, sometimes stopping part way through to catch my breath, building up over time to 10 kilometres. Covering 30-35km per week in the first few weeks, I obtained a thirst for more.
By mid-May, I was running almost 70km per week, and had worked my way up to my first half marathon, which I ran in 1 hour and 46 minutes. On top of this, I was starting to find that my sleeping was improving, my waistline was shrinking, and I was happier within myself. Colleagues and family members were starting to compliment my slender appearance and I was defying comments of mild ridicule from my brother who questioned why anyone would bother exerting such effort. When we packed for a holiday, I ensured that I took my running gear, and started to study Google Maps in order to find new routes to run to which would get me up to 5k, 10k or 21.09k - whichever distance I felt in the mood for.
Months of effort have now ensured that I can call myself a competent runner. I can run a 5k in less than 21 minutes, a 10k in less than 44 and a half marathon in less than 1 hour 39. I am also seeking out new challenges, and next year, I’d like to complete a marathon. I was really impressed to see that Nick Brain, Headteacher at Sherfield School, and a colleague within the Bellevue Group had excelled at a triathlon at the weekend - his being awarded Sports Legend of the Week award at Sherfield is exactly the sort of leadership which gets students thinking about the key things at this time in their lives: making good, healthy decisions; seeking out and overcoming challenges; training and dedicating themselves to improvement.
The benefits of running, and indeed all exercise, have been well documented, both in terms of physical and mental health and others are far more well placed to explain them. On a personal note, I can not now see myself going on in life without running. It has become an essential part of managing my stress, and I honestly miss the activity when I don’t have the time to get out. I’m keen for others to follow my lead too, and I’ve set up a College Running Club to provide an opportunity for them to get involved. It was a great experience to be accompanied by our Head of Science, Richard Smith, during a run a few weeks ago, and now he is getting back to regular activity. Year 13 student Nali recorded his first 5k of the academic year last week, and, most pleasingly, a group of year 10 girls have made their desire to join clear.
If I can continue to get students thinking positively about running through the club, then it will have been a worthwhile experience in creating it. This is the ethos behind all of our extra-curricular activities at the College - to encourage students to try something new which will enhance their experience while they are here. I am very keen to ensure that grades, although important in the life of every student, is never what defines them.