stride
the jogscotland magazine | Summer 2020
All over the country, jogscotland groups have been running together, apart, in lockdown - virtual challenges, socially Âdistant relays and fundraising runs, have kept our community as close and as vital as ever thank you all for supporting one another Turn the page for more ... jogscotland.org.uk
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Meet the Jog Crew
Sue Gyford
Colin Hutchison
Angie Sutherland
Carol Robison
Digital communications and press officer
Head of Development
Coaching administrator (Jog Leader course bookings)
Membership administrator
sue.gyford@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07880 037 574
colin.hutchison@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07983 080 925
coaching@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07393 674 262
Andrea Gavin
Laura Kirkland
Jo Stevens
Community Strides coordinator
Community Strides coordinator
Development officer
andrea.gavin@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07801 634 198
laura.kirkland@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07960 582 838
On maternity leave
membership@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07391 845 783
Jog Scotty The Jog Dog! Mascot of jogscotland
Stride – the jogscotland members’ magazine Editor: Sue Gyford
Designer: Adrian Hallam, 3fiftysixmedia Ltd
Published four times a year by scottishathletics. Copyright©2020 Scottish Athletics Ltd. www.jogscotland.org.uk
www.twitter.com/jogscotland
www.facebook.com/jogscotty
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Welcome! by Sue Gyford
Stride magazine | Summer 2020 Hello! And welcome to the summer 2020 edition of Stride magazine. What an extraordinary few months it’s been. Sad, challenging, and sometimes scary. But we’ve also seen a lot of kindness and caring and – given that we’ve all been in isolation – a great deal of togetherness. I hope that, whatever lockdown has been like for you, you’re managing to stay active and keep connected with your jogging buddies, even if you can’t see them all face-to-face. Here at head office (well, I say at head office – of course I mean in the kitchens, spare rooms and odd corners of our homes…) we’ve been busy finding ways to keep you connected – with The Great jogscotland Scavenger Hunt (p9) and our Zoom coffee breaks (p11). We’ve also published our Learn to Run and Walk for Fitness programmes (p8), so that all those new people who’ve been getting out during their daily exercise, can do it safely. Our joggers and jog leaders all over the country have been busy too, taking part in a huge variety of imaginative virtual challenges (p12). We always say that jogscotland is about more than just jogging – it’s about community. And now we’ve seen the proof of that – it turns out that even when you take away the ability for our jog groups to meet, those communities continue – and become, if anything, even more important for the people taking part. Thank you to everyone who has looked out for their fellow joggers, encouraged others, and kept in touch during these difficult times.
Sue Gyford, Editor
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Contents News and events
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Letter from Mark Munro
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Walk For Fitness and Learn To Run
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The Great jogscotland Scavenger Hunt
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We Are Here
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Virtual coffee breaks
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Running together apart
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Jogability joy!
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Community Strides
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David Syme - Jogging along
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Inverness Half Marathon and 5K
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News and events Keeping you informed As we begin, gradually, to emerge from lockdown, jogscotland is committed to keeping our members - and particularly our jog leaders – informed about what they’re able to do every step of the way. With our parent organisation, scottishathletics, we’ve put together information sheets which you can find on the covid-19 page of our website, along with other useful resources.
Disability inclusion We’re delighted to say that the scottishathletics and jogscotland team has recently been joined by Pamela Robson, national disability pathway officer. Pamela has a wealth of experience in making sport inclusive, and has put together some really useful advice and information for jog leaders who might want to make their groups more accessible, but lack the confidence or knowledge to get started. You can find her helpful advice on the new Disability Inclusion page of the website’s Jog leader tookit.
Questionnaire You will recently have received a copy of a survey from our Head of Development, Colin Hutchison. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete it. The survey has been designed to give us lots of useful information about our joggers, jog leaders, and groups, that will help us develop jogscotland in future. One of the projects it will feed into, will investigate the possibilities for better links with GPs and other NHS services, to encourage more people to take regular exercise, and keep them healthier for longer.
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Letter from Mark Munro, CEO scottishathletics and jogscotland I don’t usually get the chance to contribute to Stride – it’s always full to bursting with the amazing achievements of our joggers and jog groups! But on this occasion, I wanted to make sure to write to all our members after what have been, undoubtedly, an unusual and challenging few months for us all. First and foremost, I want to acknowledge that we’ve all had very different experiences of lockdown. Whether you’ve been racking up record mileage and taking part in virtual challenges, or you’ve struggled to get your trainers on at all, I want to reassure you that you are still very much part of the jogscotland family. Your group will still be there for you when we are allowed to meet again. Regardless of your fitness levels after lockdown, whether you find yourself taking beginner sessions, or come back stronger than before, you will receive the same friendly welcome, support, and lack of judgement that is at the heart of all jogscotland groups. I would also like to extend particular thanks to our jog leaders. I’m pretty sure the jog leader course never really prepared you for leading a virtual group! And yet so many of you have stepped up to create imaginative challenges for your members, to keep that sense of community going via social media, and to keep an eye out for members of your group who might be in need of support. Thank you.
Lastly – we suspect we might have a few new recruits to the world of jogging as a result of lockdown! I think we’ve all seen new folk pulling on their trainers and running past our doors as they make the most of their daily exercise. We look forward to the day that we’ll be able to welcome them to their nearest jogscotland group to help them stick with their new running habit. If you have friends or family who are new to running, spread the jogscotland word, and let’s bring them into our community when we can all meet again.
Stay safe
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With so many people looking to make good use of their daily exercise during the period of lockdown, jogscotland decided to make our Learn to Run and Walk for Fitness programmes available to the public for the first time. Usually, we only share them with our members, but we knew so many people were getting out and making their first steps towards a more active life, that it seemed a great opportunity to help them do it safely and gradually. Our Learn to Run programme progresses more gently than most Couch to 5K programmes, so it’s particularly good for all those people just getting started without the benefit of a jog leader or coach to guide them. Walking for fitness is also ideal for people new to physical activity, and both programmes can be done during daily exercise, while keeping to Government guidelines on social distancing. We published both programmes in full on our website, at https://jogscotland. org.uk/joggers/learn-to-run-or-walk-for-fitness/. To help people get into good habits with their warm-up and cool-down, jog leader Lyn Bow of Livingston AC’s jogscotland group recorded two videos to guide people through a warm-up joint mobility session and a cool-down stretch, both posted on the web page. We then jumped onto our social media channels, and posted a session every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for ten weeks, across facebook, twitter and Instagram. The programmes created quite a buzz - our own Sue Gyford popped onto the radio with Cat Harvey to promote them, and chat about the physical and mental benefits of being active. The interview went out on 14 channels around Scotland from Northsound to Radio Borders, Forth One and Two to Clyde One and Two and more – you can listen again at https://planetradio.co.uk/podcasts/catch-up-withcat/listen/2029791/. We also featured in the Herald on Sunday, which ran a double page spread on taking up running, featuring our programmes and top tips from Sue.
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As well as helping people who were new to exercise to get active, we wanted to give the existing jogscotland community the chance to share some jogging adventures, even if we were socially isolated. And so the Great jogscotland Scavenger Hunt was born! Inspired by some of the great ideas coming out of our jog groups around the country (see p12), we’ve been setting weekly challenges for jogscotland members to find and photograph something beginning with the letter of the week while they’re out and about on their daily exercise, and share their photos with us to be gathered into our weekly facebook album. Imagination and stretching the point all encouraged! In the first week, letter J saw jelly babies, juice, a jetty, a jail, and a (sort of) Jolly Roger among the entries! It was brilliant to see the imagination going into the photos, and to see the smiling faces of our joggers from all over the country coming together for a joint challenge.
Hop on over to facebook.com/JogScotty or twitter.com/jogscotland and check out the latest challenge – we look forward to seeing your photos! jogscotland magazine
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#WeAreHere We’re delighted to see sportscotland and our partners SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) launching their We’re here campaign, encouraging many different sports to highlight the mental, as well as physical, benefits of being active. The initiative was also an opportunity to remind people that, while the lockdown situation might be unusual, the sporting community was still there to support one another. Eagle-eyed readers might also spot that it has grown out of jogscotland’s own I’m here campaign. Launched 18 months ago, I’m here has seen more than 700 jog leaders taking online mental health awareness training, and wearing the pink I’m here badge to demonstrate to their members that they’re happy to chat about mental health and wellbeing. The same spirit of openness and mutual support is behind We’re here – along with the same graphic theme, with a little change of colour and words to the logo! Colin Hutchison, scottishathletics head of development, said: “The I’m here movement created by jogscotland and SAMH has had an incredible impact on our jogging groups. Over the last three years we’ve seen first-hand the significant impact physical activity can have on mental health through our partnership with SAMH. “Their knowledge and experience has been invaluable to help us understand how we can best work with our networks to support people at all levels in athletics and running. “On the back of the incredible success we’ve had with I’m here, we have always been keen to support SAMH to encourage other governing bodies and sports organisations to get involved. We are delighted to now be supporting the #WeAreHere campaign promoted by sportscotland and SAMH. “The #WeAreHere message is more powerful now than ever before and helps promote the positive impact physical activity can have in helping people manage their mental health.” Read more: https://sportfirst.sportscotland.org.uk/articles/were-here-for-you/
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Virtual coffee breaks With so much emphasis on getting active during lockdown, we decided we’d also like to create an opportunity for our members to just pause for a moment and get together for a blether. Our virtual coffee breaks are giving jogscotland members the chance to join us on Zoom for a chat. There’s a theme for each, but conversation takes in whatever participants want to talk about – and there’s no pressure to talk, you’re welcome to drop in and just listen. They’re hosted by our project worker Laura Kirkland, who kicks off each hour by talking to a special guest. Our first guest on 6 May was Jess Parson, jog leader with Mums on the Run Inverurie, marking maternal mental health week. Jess talked about how she had coped with exercising as a new mum and the different challenges she faces now that her son is a toddler. She also talked about the pressures of social media, especially during lockdown, when more than ever people had been posting picture-perfect photos of their baking, running challenges and home schooling - she reminded people it was just a snapshot of someone’s day, and never the whole picture. Jess offered some advice to a couple of new mums in the group who wanted to start running again safely. People in the group shared ideas about the best ways jogscotland could support groups and joggers in the current circumstances. Some folk shared that they were feeling anxious about returning to their jog groups in future as they hadn’t been running during lockdown. It was a great opportunity for people to feel reassured that they weren’t the only one feeling that way, and to be reminded that nobody will judge them when they return. The second coffee morning featured Commonwealth Games marathon medallist and mountain runner, Robbie Simpson. He shared tips on how he has stayed motivated during lockdown by setting his own goals, and finding time to enjoy things he normally doesn’t have time for like gardening. Being a coach himself, he has experienced the challenges of keeping others motivated and spoke about ways to keep joggers engaged. Our third coffee break had a focus on men’s mental health and wellbeing. If you’d like to take part in future events, email Laura on laura.kirkland@ scottishathletics.org.uk for details. jogscotland magazine
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RUNNING It takes more than a global lockdown to keep jogscotland down! That much has been evident from our jog groups all over the country, who – despite not being able to meet in person – have been active in recent months with virtual challenges, fundraisers, and simply looking out for one another at a distance. Just take a look at all those smiling faces on the front and inside cover – they’re all your fellow jogscotland members, getting active with you, together apart! We know not everyone has found it easy to find the time or motivation to keep active during lockdown – as our CEO Mark Munro says on p7, it’s been a very different experience for everyone. But we would like to thank our jog leaders in particular, who have managed to come up with so many imaginative challenges to keep their groups connected and active, and to everyone who has taken time to check on their fellow joggers during this challenging spell. There’s been so much going on that we can only show you a small sample – congratulations to everyone who’s organised or taken part in a virtual challenge!
West Highland Way and SAMH Challenge jogscotland Milngavie have taken inspiration from their locality, completing a virtual West Highland Way (96 miles) between them over one weekend. Some ran, some walked, some did a little of both, to make it as inclusive as possible. For June, they’re holding the JSM Club Challenge - 1000 Miles for SAMH. Members have pledged to run 30, 50 or 80 miles in June, then make a donation to SAMH, and are supporting each other with facebook posts as they log their mileage. The aim is to run 1000 miles in total during the month, as well as raising money for our partners, SAMH.
Katy Hepburn
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I would walk… 13,500 miles! jogscotland Inverness have been tracking all miles jogged by their members since they stopped meeting as a group on 17 March. At the time of writing, they’d racked up 13,500 miles – half way round the equator! They’ve kept people motivated with weekly challenges, including running up as many as possible from a list of 10 infamous hills, running over or under as many bridges as possible, and running “the extra mile for JS” where members were asked to run one mile more than the furthest they have gone in a single run since lockdown started. Leaders have been overwhelmed by what people are achieving!
Katy Hepburn
Helen Murray
Mega-fundraiser jogscotland Denny completed a Social Distancing Megathon Relay, with 29 runners covering 76.5 miles over 12 hours, each being allocated a 30 minute slot from 7am until 7pm, and handing over from one runner to the next with a distant wave rather than a baton. They raised £2,700 for Strathcarron Hospice – and all well and truly found their running mojos into the bargain!
Keith McDevitt
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Tatty-tastic! Dundee International Women’s Centre might not be open to visitors right now, but Fatima, who leads the jog group there, has given everyone the chance to keep fit at home with a brilliant facebook video. As well as stretching and jogging on the spot, she demonstrates using items around the home to keep fit – including lifting a sack of potatoes!
Over the rainbow
Dawn Wood Thirkell
JS Elgin City have taken part in a whole range of challenges. Jog leader Dawn Wood Thirkell was due to run London Marathon this year, so instead on race day members ran virtual miles with her instead. With 34 people running across the day, they racked up 199 miles – about 7 ½ marathons! Some ran on treadmills while facetiming other group members, some ran with their children, and one lady ran eight miles on her driveway because her house were in lockdown. Dawn tells us: “It’s amazing how much everyone pulled together and enjoyed it! I’m so incredibly proud of them all.” The group have also had a mini challenge to include the children, where members had to photograph colours of the rainbow either their homes, at work or outdoors, and also ran a virtual race with medals made locally, raising £225 for their local food bank.
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Jogability joy! Our Jogability project, which has brought the joy of being active to girls and young women with additional support needs, has been a great success. In the 12 months it has been running, we’ve helped to set up four jog groups - two in Edinburgh, and one each in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire, with groups in Dundee and East Ayrshire raring to go - all groups will return when it is safe to do so after lockdown. The project was set up with the help of sportscotland through the Women and Girls Fund, and was led by jogscotland project worker Andrea Gavin. It has proved that, by adapting one or two small things, we can easily increase participation in physical activity by people who might need a wee bit more support. We adapted the junior jog leader training so more young people and sports leaders with additional support needs, or a disability, could become junior jog leaders. They then led sessions for younger pupils in their school or another school, getting valuable experience, and putting their work towards things like the volunteering element of the Duke of Edinburgh Award. We also adapted our junior jogscotland activity cards into ‘social stories’ using pictures, so everyone could understand the cards. The focus of the sessions was always on fun, increasing wellbeing and understanding our bodies better - we included wellbeing tools at the end of every session, like a mindfulness silly walk or some breathing exercises. We also created hints and tips for including folk in your sessions with different abilities, and provided them to the young leaders. Andrea said: “Just under half of the girls and young women said they felt more confident as a result of taking part, and about 80 per cent said they felt healthier, which is fantastic! I saw such a wonderful change in confidence in the girls, who went from needing some encouragement at the start to wanting to be first when they were in a relay! “I loved seeing the young women become leaders - the others were more likely to take part when they had the newly-trained young leaders in charge of a session, and it was so lovely to see their leadership skills come through.” While the first round of Jogability work has drawn to a close, we hope we’ll have the opportunity for more, similar work in future.
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Our Community Strides project has been set up in partnership with SAMH, with the aim of bringing the benefits of jogscotland to more people from BME (black and minority ethnic) communities. During the lockdown, our Community Strides groups have, in common with many other jog groups, been providing support for each other at a distance.
At The Charter Run Club in Glasgow, jog leader Paul has been keeping in touch with the group and ensuring that members knew about the lockdown guidelines set out by the Scottish Government, as they initially weren’t available in languages other than English. He’s been working hard to ensure the group stay as active and motivated as possible, linking in with the jogscotland Learn to Run programme (see p8). The project was always about more than just jogging and physical activity, and since lockdown they’ve been there for each other, ensuring that mental wellbeing is being looked after, as well as making sure everyone can get adequate supplies of food and medicine.
Andrea prepares for a session with the group from Saheliya
Our women’s group at the charity Saheliya in Edinburgh decided to continue to meet virtually when lockdown arrived. During Ramadan, members usually take a break from getting active, so instead their sessions have focused on wellbeing, learning techniques that participants could take away and practice through the week. They’ve practiced writing gratitude lists, some breathing and mindfulness techniques, and been introduced to the Five Ways to Better Wellbeing provided by SAMH. Now some members have celebrated Eid and Ramadan has drawn to a close, they have started building their fitness once more with weekly virtual activity sessions with our project worker Andrea Gavin.
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Jogging along by David Syme
Lockdown running The word “lockdown” comes from prison life. It meant punishment for misbehaviour or following a riot. In Scotland now it means isolation, which is different. For weeks, we could leave our homes only for walking, cycling, jogging solo. For jogging company I take with me the lady who is the voice on Map My Run. She tells me when I have run each mile, how long it has taken and how many calories I have burned. I enjoy her company; sometimes I long to hear her voice… There are two ways to jog and keep your distance; firstly by choosing routes carefully. Avoid busy cycle paths, streets, riverside walks and canal towpaths, popular with families exercising together. Since lockdown I have made many runs of discovery, seeking and finding quiet lanes and paths “far from the madding crowd”. I hesitate to mention the second way to keep isolated, but I must tell you that the best runs I have done have been very early in the morning. There is little road traffic, off-road the few dog walkers and other joggers are easily avoided and the birdsong has been magnificent. With an early start I am in no hurry to return home, so I run longer and happier in blissful solitude. Whatever the day holds, I face it better after a good morning run. We regulars are seeing new faces out running. Banned many other activities, some are putting on old trainers and tracksuit bottoms to go for a run. This is great! I hope they enjoy it and keep the practice going long after the virus has been snuffed out. Above my desk I have a newspaper cutting which says: “Just one run a week could save you from an early grave”. Perhaps Scotland should see lockdown not as a punishment but as an opportunity.
David has produced two collections of short stories about running world-wide: “Running Away From Home” and “Running Home and Away”. All proceeds from sales go to support Tong-Len UK, a charity for street children in Northern India.
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Inverness Half Marathon and 5K Remember this? Back on 8 March, before lockdown, the streets of Inverness Half Marathon and 5K. There were plenty of jog scotties there – can you spot yourself or your pals?
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