On 13th April 2019 I did my first 5k ParkRun – although it was more of a walk! However, I persevered and by July had reached the point where I could run 5k without stopping, albeit rather slowly.
I found I’d really got the running bug and on the day I first ran 5K without stopping, I set myself my next challenge and booked two 10k runs in the Autumn. It was tough, but I kept up my running in the meantime, and I’m really proud to say I achieved it.
I’ve found that running is so convenient – and it’s cheap. No matter how much (or little) time I have, or where I am, I can always fit in a run. As a Health and Wellbeing Consultant with Westfield Health I work away from home a lot, and rather than sit in my hotel room I now get out into the fresh air for a run. The NHS report that running improves heart and lung health as well as helping with weight loss and is a great stress reliever – I’ve definitely found that to be the case.
Looking for a new challenge in 2020, I decided I’d like to take the opportunity to involve others and help the community. I had an idea for 10TenK and pitched the idea to Doncaster Business for the Community (DB4C). They’re a unique and ground-breaking registered charity launched solely for the purpose of raising much needed awareness and funds for Doncaster based charities and local causes.
They loved the idea and a partnership was formed between DB4C and my employer, Westfield Health – both organisations that are committed to promoting health and wellbeing in the workplace and in the wider community.
Now we’re looking to recruit 100 runners to take part in ten 10k running events of their choice and sign up to raise £100 each. The beneficiary of the funds raised will be the Children’s Air Ambulance, an incredible lifesaving flying intensive care unit for babies and children.
I’m passionate about all things health and wellbeing and I’d love for businesses to get involved to not only help the charity but also to promote the benefits of moving more within their organisations. Putting a group together within a business to train for the runs not only has mental and physical health benefits for the individual, it promotes cross-team working and can support Corporate Social Responsibility strategies.
A great place to start is the NHS Couch to 5K, a running plan for absolute beginners that helps people gradually work up towards running 5K within just 9 weeks.