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the jogscotland magazine | Spring 2018
No more New Year blues It’s never too late to start jogging Couch to 42K Ten great exercises to improve your running Plus‌ the best spring running events for your diary jogscotland.org.uk
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2Our fun, friendly jogging groups are perfect for people who want to get active for the first time, or more experienced runners. Nobody is “too slow” to join jogscotland – total beginners welcome!
Mums on the Run helps mums enjoy the physical, social & psychological benefits of being active outdoors. You can take your wee one to class with you in the buggy too!
Running has never been so easy! Whatever your age, whatever your ability Morning, noon and night • Towns, cities, villages Parks, pavements, trails, woodlands, beaches, schools and workplaces For more information visit www.jogscotland.org.uk or call 0131 539 7341 www.facebook.com/JogScotty • www.twitter.com/jogscotland
jogworks
Our Junior jogscotland resource pack is full of games to help you show primary school age children that stride physical activity is fun! jogscotland magazine | Winter Winter 2016 jogscotland magazine 2016 www.jogscotland.org.uk/ |
Encouraging employees to be more active makes good business sense. Jogworks can help avoid some of the physical and mental www.jogscotland.org.uk/ health issues affecting the workplace.
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Contents Warm-up: Niall Findlay News and events Bringing more jogscotties on board No more New Year blues SAMH update Never too late Ten great exercises to improve your running Couch to 42K David Syme - Jogging along Race directory Cool down
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Just click on a title to go straight to the page!
Design: 3fiftysixmedia.com
sponsor and funder jogscotland magazine
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Meet the Jog Crew
Jo Stevens
Sue Gyford
Colin Hutchison
Angie Sutherland
Membership development officer
Digital communications and press officer
Head of Development
jo.stevens@ scottishathletics.org.uk 0131 539 7341
sue.gyford@ scottishathletics.org.uk 0131 539 7350
Coaching administrator (Jog Leader course bookings)
Carol Robison
Andrea Gavin
Laura Kirkland
Membership administrator
Communities project coordinator
Participation project coordinator
membership@ scottishathletics.org.uk 0131 476 7321
andrea.gavin@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07801 634 198
laura.kirkland@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07960 582 838
colin.hutchison@ scottishathletics.org.uk 07983 080 925
coaching@ scottishathletics.org.uk 0131 476 7328
Jog Scotty The Jog Dog! Mascot of jogscotland
Stride – the jogscotland members’ magazine Editor: Sue Gyford
Designer: Adrian Hallam, 3fiftysixmedia Ltd
Photographs: Never too late (pp16 & 17) Bobby Gavin www.thatonemoment.co.uk and Steve Adam Rainbow Relay (p10) Heather Noller Published four times a year by scottishathletics. Copyright©2018 Scottish Athletics Ltd. www.jogscotland.org.uk
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Warm-up Jog Leader Niall Findlay tells us how jogging helped him recover from cancer
I was very fit from 1987 – 1995 as I was a serving member of the Royal Navy. I left and did more or less nothing until 1998 when I was bet I couldn’t run the London Marathon. I did this but it nearly killed me and stopped running there and then! By 2007 I was 22 stone and lacked all fitness motivation. I returned from holiday around September 2007 with an insect bite that never healed. I made an appointment with the doctor. After he rectified my problem I underwent a number of tests and was diagnosed diabetic and also with a pituitary gland tumour. I thought my world had ended. I joined the local council gym and started jogging too. Being big and slow the jogging was a bit of a chore on my own. Attached to the gym there was a jogscotland group run by Dave Gove. I knew him as I already worked with him. He encouraged me to join the group and in 2008 I made that leap and joined. I was not a beginner but an intermediate, but running within a group was just fantastic and very sociable. I stayed with that group for a couple of years until it stopped. By this time I was a confident 10K runner and the occasional half marathon finisher. I was back to being a lone runner again as my family life had changed so couldn’t manage the jogscotland times elsewhere. Newburgh where I live started a running group with ladies who were all chums. This quickly became jogscotland Newburgh. My wife signed up and came home every Wednesday with positive story after positive story. I thought I’d love some of that, so I joined that group in 2015 and fitted into the social run. I also entered
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Warm-Up continued
the ballot for a place in the London Marathon. October 2015 came the news that I’d be waiting for, I got in. I now had to try and train for this milestone. I used this group to try and up my distance, which worked. I also knew that whilst doing the lonely runs I had the group to look forward to on a Wednesday. My training consisted of a short run Monday, social jogscotland Wednesday and a long weekend run. I successfully completed the run in around five hours - and it did not kill me like it nearly did in 1998! I was happy as I’d raised £1600 for cancer charity “The Christie”, where my pal Clarke had undergone successful treatment. So I’d reached my goal and it was time for me to give something back. I gained my Jog Leader qualification at the Aberdeen Sports Village and started to take my turn leading the various abilities in jogscotland Newburgh. For me the love of leading the beginners is what I want as I still remember the journey I’ve taken. I try and give as much motivation as possible. One of the other leaders in our group runs a health show on a community radio station in Aberdeen, she asked if I could be a guest and talk about jogscotland and parkrun as she loved the motivation I have for my group. For me this has made me the happiest person alive as I’m now getting to tell how jogscotland changes lives, working alongside parkrun. Even better, just this year the doctors have told me my tumour has gone. They think it’s because of the amount of jogging I do. I have lost six stone - but won’t lie, still have around three to go. Parkrun Ellon is where you now see me most weekends now. I have completed it 31 times and volunteered around 12 times. jogscotland Newburgh has even taken over the volunteering one Saturday with me being Run Director. Summing up, jogscotland Newburgh and parkrun Ellon have changed my life. I’m still not a fast runner but I am very enthusiastic and have made lots of friends from doing it. I look forward to Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. I also plan to run London one more time – maybe…
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News and events
Quiz time! The second annual Northeast jogscotland Quiz Night took place at Mannofield Cricket Club, on 16 February, thanks to organiser Alan Millar from Queen’s Cross jogscotland. Winners were Quizteam Aguileira, a mixed team from Nuffield, Airyhall and Queens Cross jogscotland. They asked that the money raised be split between Alzheimer’s Research UK and the Gathimba Edwards Foundation. Thanks to the generous support of so many dedicated quizzers, and Queen’s Cross jogscotland rounding up the total raised, each charity received £500. Pictured above left.
Award-winning leaders Congratulations to Jog Leaders Nicola Moriarty and Anita Dow (top right) for receiving the Services to Sport award at this year’s Dunfermline & West Fife Sports Council Annual Awards! They were put forward by Pitreavie AAC, and Nicola explains: “We were nominated as the club has recognised the importance not just of competitive sport, but of the inclusiveness and health benefits of our group in the local community. We work closely with the endurance group PAACE (Pitreavie AAC Endurance) to offer a full pathway from complete beginner to competitive runner and over the past year they have seen numbers in their section grow from around 30 to over 100 which has been pretty phenomenal! It is amazing to win an award for doing something you love and is so much fun. We couldn’t do it without all the fabulous runners in our group and the help of the other five leaders.”
Great Winter Run We were delighted to host a special jogscotland start area at the Great Winter Run in Edinburgh on 13 January. Organisers chatted to some jogscotland members on the event PA before the start, and it was the perfect way to kick off the new year!
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News and events continued
Thank you A huge thank you to more than 600 of you, joggers and leaders, who filled out a recent online survey from the University of the West of Scotland and the University of Birmingham. The survey was designed to explore the social and psychological benefits of jogscotland, and what influences the participation and well-being of joggers and jog leaders. The results are now being analysed, and we hope the fantastic response level will help us to improve jogscotland for everyone in future. • L ast year you also helped us with a members’ survey, the results of which have now been collated and presented to Scottish Ministers, in a document called A Sport for Change, alongside similar results from scottishathletics members. They showed the clear benefits – physical and mental – that jogscotland members derive from being active with us, and have been incredibly useful in proving all the great work being done by jogscotland groups around the country.
jogscotland on the Isle of Harris! We’re always happy to see new jogscotland groups getting started, but there’s one group on the horizon that has us particularly impressed. Jog Leader Carolyn Hare is gearing up to launch jogscotland Harris in the Outer Hebrides in mid-March, and tells us: “We’re expecting a wide range of abilities and people will be driving 50+ mile round trip to attend. No pressure then! Luckily we have a beautiful island to take our minds off the hills and rain. Any comments or shares for the webpage would be gratefully received!” Such dedication! Anyone for a spot of jogscotland tourism? Click here to visit their facebook page and give them a like! One of jogscotland Harris’s training routes
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Bringing more jogscotties on board
As we reported in the last edition of Stride magazine, Andrea Gavin and Laura Kirkland have taken up new part time posts as Communities Project Coordinator and Participation Project Coordinator, respectively. Both roles aim to increase jogscotland’s reach into communities which are currently under-represented in our membership. Here we catch up with what they’ve been up to… Andrea - We’ve been delighted to see the launch of the first new jogscotland group set up under the Communities Project. East Ayrshire Vibrant Communities jogscotland is based in Kay Park, Kilmarnock every Monday at 5.30pm. The first evening (pictured) saw 31 joggers attend and enjoy chatting and completing week one of the beginners one programme. I was very lucky to join in that evening, it was so much fun! We have several more groups in the West of Scotland getting ready for their big launch in the upcoming weeks, including Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde, and Law & District AAC (Wishaw group). jogscotland magazine
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10 We’ve been continuing to support Glasgow Frontrunners with their fantastic work to make the running community as inclusive as possible. Our mascot Jog Scotty attended their Rainbow Relay event on 18 February (pictured below), and the group will mark International Women’s Day on 8 March with a twist on their usual Thursday training evening – all the jog leaders will be women. I have been having some wonderful conversations about getting more people moving, from parent and family groups, to local community groups to athletics clubs wanting to add a jogscotland group onto the groups they run. Most of the conversations that have been taking place have been about how good physical activity is for mental health, and with jogscotland starting from thirty second run/thirty seconds walk and building from that, it is ideal for a beginner or someone who wants to get back into running. Laura - Hawkhill Juniors were the first group to launch under the participation project. The group is for children aged between 5-16 and gives them an opportunity every week to participate in running games at the Hawkhill Community Centre. Shirley-Anne Smith was trained as the junior jog leader and is a great mentor to the children and will be fantastic in building their confidence each week. On the first night the kids were treated to a special visitor, that visitor being Jog Scotty. Jog Scotty was on his best behaviour and caused a lot of excitement and many selfies were taken! Goodtrees was the next group to launch with participants braving the freezing temperatures on a Friday morning. This group is very much aimed at beginners and the enthusiasm brought by our own Jo Stevens allowed them to smash the first week. Many new groups will be launching in March, in Aberdeen, Perth, Inverness and Dundee, all aimed at getting the inactive active, helping build confidence and self-belief.
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No more New Year blues
There was a time that Gemz Crawford found herself consumed by sadness every January, crying at home alone every night. But since she joined Alness Area jogscotland, her life has turned around. She told her story in a fantastic video for the group’s facebook page – click on the link to watch, or read an abbreviated version right here –
I joined jogscotland in July 2015. I was really petrified of going the first time, I was so nervous and so overwhelmed. I was worried that someone was going to have to hang back and wait for me, and I wouldn’t be able to run the whole thing, and I was gonna get lost – I was so scared. And I went and that was such nonsense. Ros Jemmett was the leader at the time, and she was amazing. She made you feel so comfortable and so welcomed, she was just so happy that you were getting out and getting active. And she made you feel so good about yourself, that I came along again, and again and again. She put her trust and faith in me, and I owe absolutely everything to her. I have lived in Alness my entire life and half the people that went to jogscotland, I had never seen before. These people are my friends now – really, really good friends, and that came from jogscotland. Running has given me fitness, strength, confidence, it’s made my mental health really, really good. Prior to joining jogscotland, I used to get really low in January, so low it was frightening. I work at the Ironworks music venue, so every October right up til December it’s mental, you’re doing gig after gig after gig. Then we’d take time off in January and I’d go from being out the house all the time to “I have nothing to do.” So I would be sitting at home and all of a sudden these thoughts would come into my head but they would get really loud. Things like: “Mid-30s, single, living by myself, no children, what are you doing with your life?” This little voice inside my head would get louder, and louder, and louder, and it jogscotland magazine
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12 would sit there giving it: “You’re going through life by yourself, you’re all alone, you’re failing at life, you don’t have a partner, nobody wants you, you don’t have kids, you’re failing as a woman” And I would get really, really low, and I’d be crying, all the time. It came to a head in January 2015, I remember being at the Ironworks, going back to work, and I just had this total meltdown in the office, and I could not stop crying. And my boss was like “What the hell is wrong with you? What on earth is going on? I saw you three weeks ago and you were fine” – which I was. I didn’t know what was going on, because it was only ever January that this happened and I would be breaking my heart. So it would take ages to pull myself back up and I would just kind of throw myself into whatever job was going to try and forget what was going on. The January after I joined jogscotland, I was really frightened this was going to happen again, because it happened every January, and it was getting worse and worse as I was getting older. The January came… nothing happened. I was out running in minus three, I was out running in the pitch black, Hurricane Henry was on the go and I’d be at jogscotland. And I was surrounded by these people who were all there for different reasons, and we would have to do a run in amongst it all, but we were either talking or listening to one another, and it gave me focus. It gave me positivity that I was achieving the fact that it was minus three and I was out doing
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a run rather than sitting on the couch crying about my life. I haven’t had that since. And it’s now 2018. That’s a massive deal for me. And it’s because jogscotland has given me an outlet, I can run my stress off, or anything emotional that’s going on. You’re surrounded by people who are there listening, laughing, getting the craic, or they’re there for a particular reason, and you’re being the listener, or you’re being the silent runner beside this person, because it’s what they need. And I want people to know that yes, jogscotland is a running group, but it’s so much more. You feel happy, you feel positive, you feel motivated, you feel encouraged, you feel supported. And it doesn’t matter how fast you go, it doesn’t matter how slow you go, it doesn’t matter how big you are, it doesn’t matter how thin you are, doesn’t matter that you’ve got the best gear on, or if you wanna go out running in your jammies. Do what you want. Come and see us, and just be you. It really doesn’t matter what fitness stage you’re at, doesn’t matter what pace you’re at. Just come, and see what you can get out of jogscotland. I actually can’t think of what my life would be like without it, because it’s just taken over my life, but in such a good way. We don’t train people to be machines or whatever, we train people to get the craic with people they wouldn’t normally get the craic with, and it’s a much happier place for it. jogscotland magazine
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update
The latest news on our partnership with the Scottish Association for Mental Health
The jogscotland team were delighted to join SAMH for the launch of Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport on 2 February. The charter aims to use sport to improve equality and reduce stigma through positive conversations and action on mental health – and we are proud to be among the first signatories. Work on the charter was launched by SAMH Ambassador, Sir Chris Hoy, in 2016 and since then more than 300 people with lived experience have contributed to its development. Joining us among the first signatories were scottishathletics, sportscotland, sporta, SPFL Trust, Glasgow Life, KA Leisure, NL Leisure and Oriam – and we all pledged to take action on mental health in our respective organisations. This SAMH project, funded by Comic Relief, encourages physical activity and sporting communities from grassroots to the elite level to incorporate mental health into their strategies to make sport more accessible to people with mental health problems. On the launch of the charter, Sir Chris said: “I am a firm believer in the link between physical and mental health and I know from experience that if I don’t get out on my bike regularly it affects my wellbeing. There is still a long way to go but initiatives such as this charter will certainly help remove barriers, supporting people to increase their confidence and self-esteem. That is why I am delighted to support Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport. We must ensure that having a mental health problem is never a barrier to engage, participate and achieve; whatever your goal.”
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15 Our membership development officer Jo Stevens (pictured left), who signed the charter on behalf of jogscotland said: “We’re really delighted to be among the first to sign up to the charter. Through our partnership with SAMH, we hope we’re already leading the way when it comes to promoting the importance of physical activity for good mental health, and opening up important conversations on the subject among our Jog Leaders and members. “The charter is an important step in making sure this work continues to grow in the future, and we look forward to many more organisations joining us as signatories.” SAMH Director of Delivery and Development Sarah Blackmore said: “At SAMH we know the positive impact that physical activity through sport or recreation can have on mental health and wellbeing. Sporting communities have a role to play in using the collective power of physical activity and sport to create positive lasting change in mental health and wellbeing. I urge those in sport and physical activity communities to sign up to the charter to signal to anyone with a mental health problem that there is no barrier to getting active.” On behalf of the charter steering group sportscotland Chief Executive Stewart Harris said: “It is clear from the work that we do in communities across the country the very positive and sometimes life-changing effects that physical activity and sport can have on health and wellbeing. By working together, the sporting community can help break down barriers to participation, challenge stigma, and help make a very real difference to the lives of people faced with mental health problems. On behalf of the sporting community in Scotland we are delighted to support Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport.”
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Never too late I took up running in retirement – now I’m winning gold medals on the track in the over-60 category! By Allen Marr of Leven Las Vegas
I took up running for health reasons in early 2015 following a long illness. I retired from work and started jogging a couple of miles every day. I live in Leven in Fife and I knew about Leven Las Vegas Running Club (LLV) from reading about their activities in the local paper, so I joined in their training sessions. I loved the running club straight away – everyone was friendly and enthusiastic and the training catered for all abilities. I learned that LLV was affiliated to jogscotland and that’s when I joined Scotland’s national recreational running network. Many people have helped me since I started running but one person deserves special mention. Ian Shield, the founder of LLV, exemplifies the spirit of jogscotland by encouraging novices and experienced runners alike. Ian has made a huge contribution to my development as a runner. My first experience of track racing was an evening event at Livingston in late summer of 2016. I loved running under the lights, in front of a crowd, the starter’s gun, the bell for the last lap, the whole authentic athletic experience. I entered a few more track events and then competed as a jogscotland representative at the Scottish National Masters outdoor championships in July 2017 where I won a silver medal in the over-60 category in the 1500m. Then I entered the National Masters indoor track events in January 2018 over 3000m and February over 1500m. What an experience! Competing at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow was amazing, in front of a large crowd and sharing a track with some of the most famous athletes in the country. I was pretty nervous as it was a completely new experience for me. My aim was just to run a personal
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17 best time and see where I ended up. Everything turned out perfectly as I achieved PBs over both distances and won two gold medals. After about 18 months with Leven Las Vegas, I was asked to become a Jog Leader so I did the jogscotland training course and have been taking regular sessions with the Leven group for over a year. Our first ever Couch to 5K course in 2017 received an enormous response and we took around 40 beginners through the programme, many of whom have continued to be involved with LLV. It was such a success, and such a rewarding experience for us as organisers, that there will be another Couch to 5K course in spring 2018. I am also a volunteer with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, working on their project entitled Active Living Becomes Achievable which assists individuals with mental health challenges to become more active as part of their therapy. It is tremendously satisfying for me to be able to help newcomers to running to start experiencing some of the same joys and benefits that I’ve experienced myself in the last three years. jogscotland is a fantastic initiative. There are no barriers of age, weight, gender, ability or speed. jogscotland should be a key factor in improving the physical and mental health of our nation. Running is such a healthy and accessible activity that I would recommend it to anyone who is physically able to take part. Everyone who runs has their own goal. It could be to lose weight or get healthier, to complete a certain distance, to get a parkrun PB on a Saturday morning, to raise money for a good cause or to win prizes. jogscotland can be the starting point for all of these goals.
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Ten great exercises to improve your running From our partners, DW Fitness First 1. Reach across balance - To develop ankle control, strength, proprioception Stand on one leg and lift the other leg so thigh is parallel to the ground. Raise the arm on that side so that it is fully extended. Look straight ahead. Reach that arm down and across your body so that hand touches the top of the grounded foot. You’ll need to bend at the waist to do this. Pull torso back to upright and return to the starting position. For extra stability remove shoes and grip the floor with the toes. Doing this will also help to strengthen the feet. Push your unsupported leg back and forward from the hip to initiate the pivoting movement required. Do 4 x 8 on each leg 2. Lateral shuffle - To develop ankle (and hip) movement control and agility Stand with your feet just beyond shoulder-width and drop down into a squat. Lift arms up so they are parallel to the ground. Initiate sideways movements by skipping from your forefeet taking reasonably long steps and generating some discernable height. Do 4 x 10 reps to the left and 4 reps to the right. For greater effort increase the sideways jump. This introduces a higher braking element when you transition from one direction to the other. 3. Leg raises - To develop leg and core strength Lying on the floor and holding onto coffee table legs behind you, tense your core as you raise your straight legs off the ground and point them at the ceiling. Repeat for 30 sec.
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19 4. Side plank raises - To develop core strength and improve running form Propping yourself on one elbow with your other arm stretched upwards, lower your hip to the ground and then raise your hips upwards. Repeat on both sides for 30sec each. 5. Plank - To develop core strength and improve running form In a press-up position, lower yourself onto your forearms and make sure your core is straight and tensed. Hold the position for 30sec. That bit extra - These exercises will improve mobility, increase overall strength and stimulate fast twitch fibres. They are a great addition to your weekly programme. Do them once a week before or after a short run. 6. Hill speed plyometrics If you’re short of hills, plyometric work is perfect. It mimics the explosive demands of fast uphill running but, more importantly, the stressful eccentric, lengthening under load work your muscles have to endure when descending. Warm-up with 10-15min of progressively harder running, or tag these onto the end of any run. Jog for 3-5min and repeat exercises 1-4 up to three times.
A
7. Jump squats Squat down until your thighs are parallel to the ground (see image A) and explode up as high as you can (see image B). Land with soft leg, sinking straight into the squat to absorb your landing. Pause at the bottom and repeat. 20 reps. 8. Jump lunges Step forward into a standard lunge. Explode vertically upwards, switching legs in the air and absorb the landing by sinking back into a lunge. Pause to regain balance and repeat. 20 repetitions.
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9. Bounds Imagine skipping but with a bit more intensity. Drive powerfully from stride to stride, cover as much distance as possible for 20 steps and don’t forget to swing your arms, too. 10. Hops Powerful hops, again driving with your arms and covering as much distance per hop as you can. Do 10 reps on one leg, then switch legs.
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Couch to 42km – getting a non-runner to run the London Marathon By Emily Taylor, jogscotland Rosemount, Aberdeen
I am not a runner. Take one look at me – my hips don’t lie, and my body does not scream ‘marathon runner’. So why am I ten weeks into a training plan to run the London Marathon?! I have never been a runner. The idea of running seemed so pointless to me – why would I go for a run when I could have cake? I only ever saw it as exercise to lose weight, or to show off to your non-running friends that you went for a run. Yet, for some reason I was always curious about running – why would people do it? What’s the enjoyment? I was always intrigued, so in January 2013 I emailed my local jogscotland group for more information…and did nothing about it. In January 2014 I did the same thing…and didn’t turn up. But in January 2015 I found myself walking to my local jogscotland in Rosemount, Aberdeen. I started running two years ago, and it has completely changed my life. I’ll never forget walking along to my first ever running group, feeling sick with nerves and convincing myself I would hold everyone up. I had such a low opinion of myself I was convinced I couldn’t do it, that I would embarrass myself or that everyone would laugh at the jiggly jogger. I ran just under four miles that night, and was proud as punch.
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21 Fast forward two years and I’ve run multiple 10Ks, countless 5Ks and a half marathon, I am now a leader for my jogscotland group and I’m training to run the London Marathon. Yeah, me! I’m not a fast runner, nor do I run to compete with myself or others – rather, I apply the ‘my race, my pace’ mentality and just get on with it. It took me 26 years to pluck up the courage to give it a try, and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever done. I’ve often said that the running group is the best therapy session going – I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank my running group for helping me through breakups, make-ups, bad dates, good dates and life dramas. They are the best support network I could have ever asked for. I was lucky enough to receive a place in the 2018 Virgin London Marathon, raising money for SAMH and accomplishing a lifelong ambition. My training has been difficult to fit into an already busy life, but I rest when I need to, I slow down when my body aches and I love to stop at traffic lights (who doesn’t!?). I am ten weeks into a gruelling twenty week training plan and although it’s been tough, and my body screams at me to stop, I feel like Mo Farah. For anyone reading this thinking ‘Oh, I couldn’t run a marathon’ – I was you! I would never have thought this would be possible until I joined jogscotland. I am not running the marathon to win it, to meet a specific time – I’m running it for me, and for jogscotland, and I couldn’t have done it without them. Sponsor me! https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/EmilyTaylor24 emilytaylor24 Follow me! Strava – emilytaylor24@hotmail.co.uk
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Jogging along by David Syme Polay, Polay, Daddy! It amazes me that many of my running friends see a holiday not only as a break from work, but also a break from running. I find running to be a definite highlight of any trip, in this country or abroad. It is not organised running that I enjoy, it is the solo run that starts early in the morning as I stand on the steps of the hotel, take a deep breath and decide to go right.... or maybe left. What usually follows is an experience of new sights, sounds and smells – a pleasant sampling of the local culture at a pace and direction of my own choosing. This is especially welcome if I am on an organised tour of the country and will spend the rest of the day doing what the tour guide instructs. Running in rural Africa is good for the soul. Africans smile when they see a westerner, especially a rotund, elderly male westerner, jogging in the cool of dawn. It is a broad, toothy smile which beams friendship and encouragement. In Kenya they wave and shout “Polay Polay, Daddy!” or “Take it slowly, old chap” but this has the opposite effect on me, it makes me want to speed up, to show them that there is life in the old dog yet. You don’t need to travel out of Europe to sample an exotic running experience. One run that lingers in the memory is a dawn run around Conwy, in North Wales. I had arrived at a B&B after a tiring drive, slept soundly and awoke with a few hours of leisure before going to a funeral, so set off on a run in a part of the world I knew little about. I ran along the coast, where rows of yacht masts rose above a mossy wall, then up into the hills, where the mist slipped away to reveal knobbly
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23 mountains in the west. Before returning for breakfast I ran along the ramparts of Conwy Castle, a World Heritage Site. What a great start to the day! A city break offers the chance to add an early orientation run to the day. Jogging along empty, early morning streets gives you the chance to get your bearings – useful later in the day. This is especially useful in historic places like Venice and Dubrovnik, where running becomes almost impossible once the narrow streets become busy. An early morning run at a European beach resort is interesting. The promenade which was crowded all day and evening is deserted by all except the street cleaners. Clusters of bottles and pizza boxes show where late night carousing took place, abandoned items of clothing tell a story known only to few. There may also be a hunched, hooded figure of someone who spent the night in an alcoholic haze on the beach. It is like running along a marathon route the day after the race. Without people to watch and dodge you can take in the silent shops, pleasure arcades and restaurants; the water, boats, the scavenging seabirds, perhaps another runner.... if it is an elderly, rotund male, it might be me, so please shout: “Polay, polay, Daddy!” It will help me on my way. 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.
If you’re going to put yourself through hell, you might as well do it in heaven.
23.09.18 Marathon | 10K | 5K | Wee Nessie lochnessmarathon.com
GUARANTEED MARATHON ENTRY AVAILABLE NOW The Event Frontrunners
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Spring 2018
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Race Directory There’s an event for everyone, go to events.scottishathletics.org.uk for full details.
11 March Inverness Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run 17 March Newburgh Beach Bash 10K Benbecula 10K 18 March Alloa Half Marathon 25 March Balloch to Clydebank Half Marathon
1 April Moray Road Runners 10K, Miltonduff North Highland Harriers’ Easter 10K, Staxigoe Hall Tom Scott Memorial Road Races, Strathclyde Country Park Tay Ten, North Inch Community Campus, Perth 15 April Buckie 10K 21 and 22 April Run Balmoral 5K, 10K, 3 mile, 15 mile, Junior 1.5K & 2.5K 22 April Crinnan Puffer jogscotland magazine
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29 April Stirling Scottish Marathon/Half Marathon 2 May Troon Tortoises 10K and Fun Run 8 May Hollywood Stroll 5 Mile Race, Dumfries 10 May Babcock Helensburgh 10K 12 May Taynish 10K Road Race/6 Mile Trail Race, Tayvallich Road to the Isles Half Marathon/10K, Mallaig Penicuik 10K Road Race 13 May Dalkeith Country Park 5K & 10K Bluebell Trail Run Monklands Half Marathon/5K, Coatbridge. 20 May
Free parkrun events (5K) every Saturday at 9.30am
Aberdeen Alness Aviemore Ayr Bressay Camperdown Crichton Drumchapel Dunfermline Edinburgh Eglinton Elgin Ellon Falkirk Ganavan Sands Greenock Hazlehead Inverness
Junior parkrun events (2K) for four to 14-year-olds every Sunday at 9.30am
Dumfries Duthie Helix Inverleith
Kirriemuir 5K
Jacks Road
17 June
Loch Leven
Peterhead Running Festival
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Kirkcaldy Linwood Livingston Montrose Perth Plean Pollok Portobello Ruchill Springburn St Andrews Stonehaven Strathclyde Tollcross Troon Victoria Vogrie
Perth
Prestwick Oval Rouken Glen Stirling Strathmartine The Meadows Victoria
Find out more at parkrun.org.uk |
Spring 2018
BE YOUR GREATEST
10K | SUNDAY 10 JUNE 2018
GREATRUN.ORG/WOMENS
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Cool down by Sue Gyford It’s that time of year when runners start to eye up the calendar, flip through the race listings, and pencil in the challenges they fancy for year to come. If you’re one of the thousands of members who have joined jogscotland since New Year, you might be eyeing up a first 5K in the spring – go for it! Some more experienced runners might be looking to snag a PB at events they already know and love. Others are wondering where in the world they might like to visit on their holidays, and working out how to fit in a race alongside. Looking through events listings and seeing which ones catch your eye can tell you a lot about yourself as a runner. What distance appeals, and what distance makes you think “Oh, I could never do that…”? Are you searching out a flat road race that promises fast times, or something with hillls and puddles to bring a bit of variety to your running life? For me, it’s a run with a view. Trail running is what makes my heart beat faster as I peruse the listings at the start of the year – as evidenced by the fact my first sign-up has been for the Buttermere 10 in the Lake District on 25 March. The growth in trail running has been tremendous in recent years, and I’m wholeheartedly behind it. Where once the choice for distance runners was between the road and cross country, trail running has added a third option for folk looking for something a little more scenic or adventurous. While cross country tends to be competitive and dominated by running clubs, trail running is truly for all types, and it has my running heart. For those of us who are not fast, it’s a blessing. When every race varies in steepness and terrain, it’s hard to compare your speed over different events, so the focus turns away from minutes-per-mile. Instead, it it requires toughness, grit, determination, and a willingness to keep going for a long time whatever the route may throw at you. The cameraderie is huge when you find yourself laughing your way through rivers of melting snow and knee deep mud with other runners (hello, Glentress half marathon 2017!), or lining up on the start line into 30mph winds and rain (hello, Tiree Ultra 2017!), or passing the same people back and forth
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Spring 2018
29 as you encounter endless up and downhills (hello… oh, so many races, but a special shout out to the Lake District!). Sometimes it’ll uncover in you talents you didn’t know you had. It turns out that, while I’m a real plodder going uphill, I can fly like the wind downhill – who knew?! And while the after-race chat is the best part of any race, it’s even better when the post-mortem includes how you got past the bull blocking the path at mile 7, or whether anyone’s possibly found the shoe you lost in the quagmire in the glen. And then, of course, there are the views. I’m not much of one for hill walking, so trail running gives me the chance to get out into the wilds, on my own, with a minimum of kit, and enjoy the exhilaration that offers. I’ve enjoyed stunning scenery - dashed past seals on the beach, run towards rainbows, had lunch on the steps of an abandoned mausoleum – which I’d otherwise perhaps only see on a postcard. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a wee bit smug when running past walkers weighed down by heavy boots, coats and packs as I fly by, travelling light in my tights, trainers, top and Camelbak. The freedom – and the knowledge you’ll beat everyone else off the hill and down to the café or pub at the end – are both exhilarating. Whatever you’re eyeing up this year, whether it’s a familiar favourite or a brand new challenge, I hope you find something that fills you with joy!
Glentress half marathon
Mid-run lunch at the Bullogh Mausoleum on the Isle of Rum
Up and downhill in the Lake District
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Spring 2018