Story
On 7 November, I’ll be running the Málaga Half Marathon to raise money for Tameside, Oldham and Glossop Mind, a charity that has helped me through a tough patch over the past 12 months.
If you know me, and maybe even if you don’t, you’ll know I’ve had my ups and downs with anxiety over the years.
I don’t mean hanxiety either (although yep, I get that too... the man behind the settee is definitely going to get me one day). I
I mean the feeling of having a bucket of adrenaline randomly thrown over me when out for a run. Sleepless nights. Panic that means I can’t sit still and need to keep moving. At its worst, I became so dizzy I thought I might fall over.
The counsellor my doctor connected me with through TOG Mind earlier this year was great. She helped me understand, amongst other things, that feeling guilty about taking a day off work, having a sick day or simply skiving off for a few hours isn’t healthy.
Running a business can be lonely. There’s the pressure of sales, staff and keeping everything going, on top of all the normal pressures of life.
Business is tough for a lot of people at the moment, and I know plenty will be struggling with the pressure. By being a bit more open about how I’ve felt and how I’m learning to deal with it, I hope someone else feels able to talk about it too.
So I’m running to say thank you to TOG Mind and to help them continue supporting people in our local communities.
Why the Malaga half marathon?
One of the things that really helps me with my mental health is running. It's something that means a lot to me, even if my knees and hips don't agree.
10 years ago, I did the Staten Island Half Marathon - I'd never been to NYC, let alone Staten Island, but I wanted to see somewhere I would otherwise never go.
The same applies to Malaga. It will be the first time for me in that area of Spain, and when I finish it I can go for Tapas and Rioja and then get home...
Having spent over 20 minutes in a portable toilet to avoid the rain in Staten Island, I swore I would NEVER run a half marathon again. So, this is quite the reversal, and my aim is to simply beat my time from 2015. 2.25.57.
If you can donate, thank you. If you can share this page, it would be appreciated.