New Year Resolutions, Running for MIND & Parkruns
Roger of 'IRUNOFFROAD', talks to us about RED January, his involvement with MIND and Winchester Parkrun.
2018 is just about 3 weeks old now and statistically this is the time peoples New Year's resolutions start to falter. Did you make any fitness related resolutions ? Maybe just to burn off the Christmas over indulgence ?? (we all do it !!) or did Santa bring you some new trainers to kick start a healthier year. I do hope you are still "on track".
Personally speaking
I decided to combine my love of running with fundraising for the mental health charity MIND. Running gives me an immediate sense of mindfulness. What is mindfulness I hear you ask, ...... well if I could put it into one phrase I'd say "living in the moment".
Whether you are pondering on what's happened in the last couple of days and whether you could have done anything better or equally you are worrying about what lies ahead of you, simply concentrating on the task at hand and what's required, can be really beneficial. The R.E.D. (Run every day) challenge I took on was to run 3 to 4 miles a day over the 31 days in January.
On reflection I should have written this post in December and then more people could have joined in on our journey but the fact that mental health is being discussed and more funds might be raised, that alone means this post is worthwhile.
What does it mean to be a R.E.D. January runner ?
- A healthy start to the year, physically and mentally,
- Raise awareness,
- Raise funds for the Mind Infoline
and hopefully by the end of this challenge make a difference to people's lives by bringing the topic of mental health into more people's conversations and funding the work that MIND do to help.
The MIND infoline is an advice and information service, manned by experts, for anyone needing help with mental health problems. It costs £6 to answer one call and it ensures that everyone receives the support and respect they deserve.
If you'd consider donating to the fundraising click on the link HERE
On the 15th of January I was impressed to receive a text, along with everyone else, from MIND's CEO congratulating us on our fundraising efforts, now that's impressive.
As I write this I'm on day twenty. So far I've run 78 miles and I'm well on target to beat the 100 miles target I set myself as a minimum. Sponsorship wise I'm at £200 and naturally looking to add to it, if possible :-)
Now, that's enough about me, back to you !!
How can I get fit and feel better about myself mentally and physically ?
I'm often asked this question and one very simple answer that's achievable for all ages and at no cost is a parkrun. Parkruns are held every Saturday at 9am up and down the country. Does Winchester have one .... you bet it does.
All you need to do is visit the website and download a barcode. You run with everyone else at 9am and then take a token for the position you came and have your barcode swiped for your time. Parkruns are just that, a run in a park, they aren't a race and if anyone refers to it as that then they are missing the point.
It's 5 free kilometres (3.1 miles) of an all-inclusive, friendly, welcoming and enjoyable experience. Run a bit, walk a bit .... attend on a regular basis and you'll run it all. Go regularly and you'll be hooked !! Maybe even volunteer to marshal as I did in the photo above.
For all the information you'll ever need to know here's the Winchester Parkrun link
I'll be there this Saturday coming, the 27th January, on day 27 of my 31 runs for MIND. Come and say hello !!
Thanks for reading,
Roger
If you would like to find out more about Roger and his passion for running, head over to his website for weekly updates and blogs. Alternatively, follow him on Twitter.