Stride Magazine - Spring 2022

stride

the jogscotland magazine | Spring 2022

Inside “My jogscotland pals helped me through the tough times” – Gillian’s story Welcome to our new members!

Five years of partnership with SAMH A tribute to jog leader Marie Dobson jogscotland.org.uk

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2 Our 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 2016

Encouraging employees to be more active makes good business sense. Jogworks can help avoid some of the physical and mental health issues affecting the workplace.

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Meet the Jog Crew

Jo Stevens

Sue Gyford

David Fallon

Development officer

Digital communications and press officer

Head of Development

jo.stevens @scottishathletics.org.uk 07903 180 453

sue.gyford @scottishathletics.org.uk 07880 037 574

Angie Sutherland

Carol Robison

Coaching administrator (Jog Leader course bookings)

Membership administrator

coaching @scottishathletics.org.uk 07393 674 262

david.fallon @scottishathletics.org.uk 07960 582 838

membership @scottishathletics.org.uk 07391 845 783

Stride – the jogscotland members’ magazine Editor: Sue Gyford

Designer: Adrian Hallam, 3fiftysixmedia Ltd

Photographs: Front cover: Inverness Half Marathon.

Fiona Matheson, news pages: Bobby Gavin www.thatonemoment.co.uk Published by scottishathletics. Copyright©2022 Scottish Athletics Ltd. www.jogscotland.org.uk

www.twitter.com/jogscotland

www.facebook.com/jogscotty

www.instagram.com/jogscotland

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Welcome!

by Sue Gyford

Stride magazine | Spring 2022 Welcome to the first edition of Stride magazine for 2022 – a year of celebration for jogscotland! As you’ll read on p8, we’ve just celebrated five years of partnership with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health). It’s been a brilliant five years, that have seen a profound shift in the culture of jogscotland. Now when we talk about the benefits of being active, we are equally likely to talk about it supporting our mental health as physical. That’s a crucial change, offering people a tool to help manage their wellbeing and making it easier to talk about parts of our lives with our jogging pals that were once veiled by silence, and even shame. We can only be the better for it.

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New members

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Marie Dobson

2022 is also jogscotland’s 20th birthday! We’ve come a long way since we launched with just a few pilot groups in 2002. We have plans to celebrate a little later in the year, so keep an eye on our website and social media for updates.

This edition of the magazine really reminds us of the importance of community. We celebrate everyone who has joined us for the first time this year on p16 – welcome! And on p18 we remember a jog leader who gave so much to her group over many years. Marie Dobson passed away late last year but will live long in the memory of the many people who were touched by her enthusiasm and dedication.

You can also read on p26 about research by members of LGBTQ+ jogscotland group, Glasgow FrontRunners, into the reasons behind people joining, and staying, with the group. They found that the social bonds were as important, if not more so, than the exercise. It’s something that I think will be familiar to anyone who has run with a jogscotland group.

So, whoever you’re jogging with this spring, enjoy the company, enjoy the community, and enjoy being active! p26 Glasgow FrontRunners

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jogscotland magazine

Sue Gyford, Editor |

Spring 2022

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Contents News and events

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Fifth anniversary of our SAMH partnership

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My jogscotland pals helped me through the tough times

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#MenopauseFriendly Campaign

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Book corner

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Welcome to our new members!

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Marie Dobson - a tribute

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Inverness Half Marathon

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David Syme - Jogging along

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Glasgow FrontRunners - The power of peer support

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Run for Athletics Trust Scotland!

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Just click on a title to go straight to the page!

sponsor and funder jogscotland magazine

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News and events SAMH partnership 5th anniversary It’s now five years since jogscotland entered into a partnership with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) to promote the mental health benefits of being active.

What a five years it’s been! We’ve made some real changes to the way we operate, with our groups evolving to become places where it’s OK to chat openly about your mental wellbeing, our jog leaders better-trained to support their joggers, and many special projects in the bag.

Find out more overleaf!

Spring Clean!

This year’s Spring Clean Scotland, organised by Keep Scotland Beautiful, takes place from 21 March to 21 April. Many jogscotland groups have supported the initiative in the past by going ‘plogging’ – picking up litter while jogging – and we’d love to see it happen again this year. It’s a great activity to bring a little variety to your jogging sessions, as well as giving back to your community and making your paths and trails a nicer place to be. Find more details and sign up at https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/springclean.

jogscotland Strathclyde Park held a plogging session

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Fiona in the record books We love jogscotland success stories, and the best thing is, they range all the way from ‘first 5K’ to new world records. Fiona Matheson, who runs with Falkirk Victoria Harriers, has broken three Masters world records just this year – and she started her running journey with jogscotland!

Fiona, who competes in the W60 class, set an age group 3000m World Record of 11:01.55, at the British Masters Champs in Sheffield in January. Then just a week later, she took almost five seconds off that record with a run of 10:56.89.

Fiona (right)

In February she produced another World Best at the 4J Masters Champs in Glasgow, racing 1500m on the track in 5:09.58 to once again break new ground. Congratulations, Fiona!

jogscotland bake-off!

Every runner loves a good cake, so we were really impressed to see the birthday cake that celebrated jogscotland Meldrum’s 6th birthday, designed to look like the group’s T-shirts! The cake was baked by friend of the group Angela McDonald, and their celebration evening included awards and dancing.

Team JSM has gone from strength to strength over the past six years, and their cake game is clearly on point too. Happy birthday!

Aberdeen funding We’re always delighted to see established athletics clubs that have jogscotland groups among their activities. It extends the joy of running to even more people, and gives joggers a smooth path into trying club training if that interests them.

So it’s great news that Aberdeen AAC has been awarded £1480 from ACVO (Aberdeen Council of Voluntary Organisations) Communities Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund. The money will be used to support the jogscotland group throughout 2022, with the hope that by the end of the year it will have become financially selfsupporting and sustainable.

Having fun at the Active Girls Day session held by Pitreavie AAC jogscotland magazine

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Fifth anniversary of our SAMH partnership We are delighted to have celebrated the fifth anniversary of our partnership with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) earlier this month. We officially linked up with the charity in 2017, with the aim of promoting the mental health benefits of physical activity and since then, huge strides have been made. Among the successes are: • 1 800 jogscotland jog leaders have completed online mental health awareness training with SAMH. • T he I’m here campaign encouraged jog leaders to pledge in front of their groups to welcome mental health conversations at jogging sessions – 140 jog leaders at 75 different groups in 26 local authorities took the pledge when it launched.

• T he Community Strides project is supporting joggers from diverse communities to get active with jogscotland and learn simple mental wellbeing techniques.

• T he Jogability project provided targeted activity and wellbeing sessions to girls and young women with additional support needs.

• S ammy’s Road Trip (pictured left) saw three mascot toy pups tour the country with groups hosting a pup at their jogging sessions, using them to start conversations around mental wellbeing.

• T he Menopause Friendly campaign has seen information on running through menopause provided online for joggers and jog leaders, with groups encouraged to take simple steps to become more accommodating to joggers experiencing menopause.

• j ogscotland proudly became one of the first signatories to Scotland’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport.

The full achievements of the partnership so far have been laid out in the new Impact Report, which you can view at https://jogscotland.org.uk/we-celebratefive-years-of-partnership-with-samh/.

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Dozens of groups signed up to the I’m here campaign

Development officer Jo Stevens signs the SAMH Charter

The anniversary was marked with a special online celebration. Among the speakers were Jog Leaders Nicola Moriarty of Ready, Steady, Go Pitreavie, and Lan Pham, from the physical activity group at Saheliya, the Edinburgh charity for women from diverse communities.

Nicola (left) talked about Sammy’s Road Trip and explained that as well as having an impact at her group, she had seen the dogs helping many other people open up about their wellbeing, demonstrating the ripple effect that can occur in the wider community as jogscotland groups talk about mental wellbeing.

Lan (below left) talked about her involvement with the group at Saheliya, which started indoors and is now using outdoor activity sessions to introduce members to a beauty spot right on their doorsteps that they’d never previously visited, helping them to reconnect in person after periods of lockdown.

CEO of scottishathletics, Colin Hutchison, said: “When we entered into partnership with SAMH five years ago, the promotion of physical activity as a way to improve mental wellbeing was a developing concept. During the course of our partnership, that concept has moved from being an ‘add on,’ to being at the very heart of what jogscotland is about.

“We are delighted that our partnership with SAMH has played a part in making this change happen in Scotland. Our thanks go to SAMH for all the support and expertise they have brought to the partnership. They also go to all our members, and particularly the jog leaders, who embraced this new focus with an enthusiasm that has been incredible.”

CEO of SAMH, Billy Watson said: “As we mark five years of our partnerships with scottishathletics, it’s fantastic to be able to reflect on everything that jogscotland has achieved over that time. jogscotland members have really embraced mental health activities as part of their groups; and as we emerge from what has been a very challenging period, it’s more important than ever than we continue to build on this through our ongoing partnership.” jogscotland magazine

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My jogscotland pals helped me through the tough times

By Gillian McDonald of JogPeebles

There was snow on the ground the first time I turned up to a Couch to 5K group with JogPeebles in January 2011, and I must admit, I thought everyone was daft! But I quickly got hit by the bug of challenges, adventure and achievement, and since then I have found that running offers a valuable escape from the challenge of having twin boys with Fragile X Syndrome. Fragile X is the most common known cause of inherited learning disability, yet so often goes undiagnosed due to lack of awareness.

Despite that snowy first week, I stuck with it, and by the end of the 10 weeks I’d been persuaded by two other group members to do a sponsored run, to raise funds for the local Scout hall. So from managing to run 5K one week, it was onto The Mighty Deerstalker a few weeks later - oh how naive was I?! I had never heard of it, and discovered it was five miles, up hills, in fancy dress, wading through the River Tweed and going through a tunnel where the water was waist high. I do remember swearing a lot, but we did it!

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After a particularly challenging year, at the end of 2012 it felt like the wheels all fell off my life. I found myself signed off work for three months, feeling afraid to answer the phone or go out of the house. But the ladies from JogPeebles were so supportive. They ensured I got out for daily walks/runs, made it a safe space to talk when I felt like it and were happy to leave me when I didn’t. I am so grateful and appreciative of their support. The experience also raised my awareness of mental health - it is nothing to be ashamed of, we can all have issues at some point in our lives but we can also recover and become stronger.

In 2016, I started on an A-Z challenge of half marathons. Then I secured a charity place for the 2018 London Marathon, which brought with it the challenge of raising £5000 for The Fragile X Society. JogPeebles and my family were right behind me, with fundraising events from ceilidhs to coffee mornings. JogPeebles also supported me with my training, accompanying me for parts of my long runs. I was dumbstruck when two of my fellow joggers appeared in London to support me there, too.

I loved it so much that I immediately applied for a ballot place the following year.

Surprise, surprise I got in. There was no pressure of fundraising, but it was too good an opportunity to raise awareness of Fragile X, as well as much-needed funds for the charity. Over the two years, the amount raised was over £20,000.

In 2020, the plan was to try complete the remaining six half marathons of my A-Z challenge. Then Covid hit, and all my travel plans to places like Nice, Yeovil, Uttoxeter and Vegas were cancelled.

However, as I write this, I have completed 790 days of running at least 5K every day. This is such a tonic for my mental health. It gives me space to think, and running every day has just become part of my daily routine - I would never have thought it back at the start. Sometimes it’s hard and I’ll admit that don’t always enjoy it! But I just hold onto how it makes me feel afterwards and that makes it worthwhile.

My running friends are always up for a laugh

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#MenopauseFriendly Campaign We launched our #MenopauseFriendly campaign late last year. It’s been great to see joggers and leaders getting on board – so far we have 17 groups who have pledged to take simple steps to make sure their group is as welcoming and supportive as possible, to joggers who are going through menopause.

That could mean planning flexible sessions so that people with fatigue can choose an easier jog, starting and finishing near a public toilet, or being happy to chat about signs and symptoms of menopause at your group, making it feel like a normal – if sometimes challenging – part of life.

There are lots more ideas on our website, along with three pages of useful information and links all about running through menopause. Just visit https:// jogscotland.org.uk/active-living/menopause-and-running/ to find out more.

Each of the 17 groups backing the campaign so far have pledged to read the information on these pages, take steps to make their sessions menopause-friendly, and post on their social media about running and menopause, to normalise it as a topic of conversation. They can then use our logo to brand themselves a Menopause Friendly jogging group.

The groups signed up so far are: Alness Area jogscotland, Buggy Fitness Group Dunfermline, Jiggly Joggers, Jogscotlandarran, Jogscotland Carnoustie, Jogscotland Kintore, JogScotland Penicuik, Jog Scotland NAAC, jogscotland Ravenscraig and Strathclyde Park, Kickstart@Calaismuir, Klub Wanders, Let’s Go Linlithgow, Monkton Milers, Mums on the Run Hyndland, Rogue Runners, TGCR Kelso, Try Trail Running.

• Y our group not listed? Ask your jog leader if they’d consider signing up to the campaign! Just send them the link above to find out what they can do.

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Why we signed up Carolanne Watson, jog leader for Kickstart@Calaismuir in Dunfermline, tells us what changes her group has made to become Menopause Friendly, and how it’s benefitted members.

We joined the Menopause Friendly campaign for a number of reasons. My personal experience of running through menopause was a factor as well as the ‘usual suspects’ of the group being women who were also running through menopause.

The information provided online was useful for our joggers, helping them know what to expect. Even if they didn’t have all the symptoms, for the ones they did have, it gave a sense of relief, thinking “Ah, not just me then!” Even just chatting about how we are feeling and what some are going through, leads to less stress, and they’re more likely they are to realise that they are not alone.

We can talk about everything from nutrition to HRT to feeling rubbish. There was a sense of purpose knowing that some of us ‘been there’ and could help others. I personally went through menopause early and the routine of the group made me feel accomplished even if I no longer managed to run all the time. To be out the other side now and leading ‘people like me’ is empowering.

We’ve adopted a ‘run with the flow’ approach - we tell people to go with how you feel, and offer routes that are easy to navigate and revert to walking if you want to.

It had the added bonus that ‘newbies’ could join and fit in easier. In terms of the menopause for some it just took the pressure off - run, walk, jog, whatever’s right for you on the day. We’ve had a great response from the joggers - they welcome the flexibility.

I really think we need to be shouting out and celebrating that we’ve reached this milestone in our lives. No more menstrual cycles, no more PMS! Women need to feel empowered by this new era in their lives – it’s an inevitable part of growing up! jogscotland magazine

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Book corner Jog leader with Anster Allsorts, George Findlay, dips into the ever-growing genre of ‘books about running’ and reviews some of his favourites.

Coasting by Elise Downing Elise describes herself as a runner, hiker, writer, speaker and above average cake eater. This has not always been the case (well - maybe the cake eater part). At the age of 23 Elise had a job and was in a relationship, both of which were making her miserable. At this point she decided to have an adventure and would reassess her life in the process. So, in November 2015 Elise set out to run the coastline of Great Britain carrying her kit on her back, with no experience of ultrarunning or solo adventuring. Ten months and 5,000 miles later, she became the first woman and youngest person to run a lap of Britain selfsupported.

“Coasting” is a story of Elise’s ups and downs, laughing and crying and setbacks and successes. It is a very enjoyable read which is heart-warming, funny, entertaining and inspirational. Elise’s humour really comes through in her writing. Her insecurities and self-doubts are overcome as she “finds herself” and comes to terms with her mental wellbeing. Around the coast she discovers the best in human nature, trusting in strangers whose kindness and generosity offer her accommodation and food, which she finds overwhelming.

This book is about what you can achieve with determination and endurance when you set your mind to it. It is also about the mental benefits of running and exploring outdoors and enjoying our landscape.

• C oasting by Elise Downing is published by Summersdale Publishers, £9.99

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Why Running Matters by Ian Mortimer The subtitle of Ian Mortimer’s book is “Lessons in Life, Pain and Exhilaration – From 5K to the Marathon” and this has relevance for what running means to all of us who put on running shoes, at whatever level.

Ian is approaching 50 and sets himself a running target of 50 races for the year ahead.

The book takes the form of the diary of a year of parkruns and other races, including the Portsmouth Marathon. These runs illustrate the high and lows, agonies and ecstasies of his training, injuries and achievements.

Each short chapter focuses not only on a particular run but also on the lessons learned during that run as Ian reflects on life in general.

Chapters have themes such as humility, optimism, determination, inspiration, endurance, ambition and self-respect.

Family is of continuing importance throughout, as Ian is accompanied in parkruns with his sons Alexander and Oliver, 18 and 13 years respectively. The relationship with other runners who are met at races are also a key element to the narrative.

The message comes across strongly that running is not just about times but more about meaningful experiences. In the introduction Ian writes about the bond shared by runners: “Running together imparts insights, values and understandings that go far beyond their normal level of kinship and friendship.”

It is a thoroughly interesting, enjoyable and thought-provoking book which certainly makes you consider why running matters to you.

• W hy Running Matters by Ian Mortimer is published by Summersdale Publishers, £9.99

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Welcome to our new members!

Peebles Pink Panters

Returners to Jog Scotland Dunfermline

sMilers do Couch to 5K

Newmachar Running Group

Invergordon Morning Movers

Isle Jog

January is always our busiest time of the year for jogscotland, as everyone sets their New Year’s Resolutions and aims to feel fitter and healthier after the festive season. In fact, we welcomed 530 new members in January alone! If you were one of them – thanks for joining the jogscotland family. Our membership numbers now are the highest they’ve been since June 2020 - jogscotland is really bouncing back strongly from the difficult periods of Covid restrictions.

If you started jogging in January but your new-found habit has fallen by the wayside, don’t worry - now’s the perfect time to pick it up again. The nights are drawing out, the temperatures are rising, and there’s no need to be embarrassed if life got in the way earlier in the year – your jog leader will welcome you back to pick up at whatever level you’re at today. Why not check out our ‘Top tips for staying active’?

Above are some of our new members – and above right you can find links to some useful pages on our website to help you as you continue on your jogging journey! on’t forget to renew your membership! If you’re already a jogscotland D member, it’s important you renew online once a year, when your email reminder arrives. It’s free, and helps us prove to our funders how many people are getting active with jogscotland. Go to https://sauser.sportserve. net/pages/homepage.aspx to check your membership/renew. Usernames are usually your email address, and you can request a password reminder.

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Check out our website!

New to jogscotland? We have lots of great information to help you on your jogging journey -

Want some inspiration?

Check out the Active Living section, with pages on running safety, setting a challenge, warm-ups and cool-downs, running through menopause, and more! https://jogscotland.org.uk/active-living/

Want to see the jogscotland jogging programmes?

Everything from Walk for Fitness to your first 10K is available at https://jogscotland.org.uk/joggers/learn-to-run-or-walk-for-fitness/

Questions about your membership?

We have membership FAQs available at https://jogscotland.org.uk/joggers/join-jogscotland/membership-faqs/

Want to become a jogscotland jog leader?

Find out how you could inspire others to a new active life at https://jogscotland.org.uk/jog-leaders/start-a-jog-group/

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Marie Dobson – a tribute

By Kevin Mottram, Newmachar Running Group

Newmachar Running Group have said their last farewell to Marie Dobson, one of our jog leaders, who sadly passed away on 9 Dec 2021. Marie was a much-loved jog leader who had such an outgoing, fun loving and determined personality, who never gave up. She will be sorely missed by the leaders, members and all that knew her. She has left us with loads of memories, but most of all she has left us with a message “to stay positive and live your best life”.

We all knew how much she was suffering with secondary breast cancer when she returned to the group in 2019 however she maintained such a positive outlook and created her Marie Dobson Positive Plan (#PP). The #PP enabled members of the running group to contribute and help Marie to continue joining us on our planned weekly session as she joined us on a scooter which we surprised her with as a gift. The scooter enabled Marie to continue joining in the sessions and give out her instructions and encouragement to our members who were delighted that she was still able to attend.

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The group also supported the #PP by wearing custom-made orange bracelets to show our support, some these bracelets made it far and wide with support from her idols in sport wearing the band and sending her a supportive messages. This included Dame Kelly Holmes showing her support - we then had to bring Marie back down to earth as she was just high as kite with the support given!

Marie first joined the running group in 2015 as a member, just as the group was officially setting up as a jogscotland group. It was noted straight away that Marie’s skills coupled with her personality meant she would be a fantastic jog leader. We remember it taking less than a second when asked if she would like to be a leader for her to say ‘’YES, YES YES!’’. After her diagnosis in 2019 Marie was nominated by the members of the group and later crowned Jog Leader of the Year at the scottishathletics and jogscotland Awards Night in Glasgow. This was due to her consistent encouragement and selflessness to ensure others were achieving their goals, even though Marie was fighting a tough battle herself.

Newmachar Running Group will continue with Marie’s legacy as we have renamed our Inspiration Award after Marie Dobson. The Marie Dobson Award shall be awarded to any member(s) of the group at our yearly awards night to commemorate member(s) who have been inspiring, encouraging to others to achieving their goals.

Marie continues to be known for her inspiration - she was awarded the Inspiration Award at the Aberdeen Sports Awards in March 2022.

It would be fitting to end with a few words written by Marie to encourage others: “Go and live your best life, appreciate the beauty in this world, live each day with all your heart - and check your boobs!”

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Inverness Half Marathon Inverness Half Marathon is a real staple of the Scottish running calendar.

It’s one of the first major events of the spring road running season, as the cobwebs are blown away and thousands of runners step out to see what they’re made of. It’s also always a huge gathering place for jogscotland runners, with T-shirts from so many of our groups on display as our joggers give it their all. Can you spot yourself?

Pictures: Inverness Half Marathon and jogscotland members

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Title Jogging along

by David Syme

Feet scuffing (It’s not all bad!)

Slowly, slowly trying to regain comfortable running after injury, I find it necessary to listen to my footfall. I am normally a “heel strike and roll on to ball of foot” runner (other styles are available) but I am noticing a tendency to scuff the feet by landing flat, so am concentrating on improving my style. If I imagine that Her Majesty the Queen (other celebrity figures are available) has asked me: “How does one run, David?” I would make a conscious effort to put on a show. Arms with loose fists swinging in rhythm with my legs, head up, tummy in and – most important – a decent stride, heel then ball of the foot, leaving from the toe for the next loping stride, and a wee bit of bounce. “That, Your Majesty,” I would say with a bow as I brake elegantly in front of the Royal Box, “That is how one runs.”

Scuffing the feet is a sign of a flat stride, not stretching forward enough. At my modest level of running it can happen when my mind has wandered and I have settled into a get-me-home pace, like a car with an emergency spare wheel after a puncture. Even good runners can be guilty of it towards the end of a long and tiring outing.

This morning I ran along the Water of Leith path, popular with dog walkers, cyclists, even horse riders. The surface is hard-packed grit; from behind I approached a couple with a dog and when I was still a good 10 metres away, the couple moved briskly to the side, tugging the dog. How did they know I was there? Scuffing! So it is now in my toolbox of ways to alert others of my impending arrival in their immediate vicinity.

So my thoughts are that I must listen to my footfall to avoid scuffing, but... if I want a discrete way of warning others that I am approaching, I will develop a deliberate scuffing noise for that purpose (other warning strategies are available).

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Enter now at www.entrycentral.com Website www.babcock10kseries.co.uk | Visit our Facebook page Photography by stride Borzynski jogscotlandDaren magazine | Issue three 2022

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The power of peer support

By Dr David Hunter of Glasgow FrontRunners

We all have our own personal histories and relationships when it comes to exercise. For me, this wasn’t a particularly conducive one at school.

As an adult, I had an on/off relationship with the gym but never really enjoyed the experience. In 2013, I found myself running with Glasgow FrontRunners (GFR).

In 2018, I wrote a blog for the GFR website about my experiences with the club and my journey from complete beginner to successfully completing a marathon.

It was in the writing of that blog that an idea emerged. I had experienced a range of emotions (anxiety amongst them) going along to GFR for the first time. If I had felt like this, how had others? What were the things that motivated people to come to a club like GFR in the first place and what was their experience once there? Whilst knowing this would be useful to help grow the membership of the club, there was another angle - the lack of academic research around LGBT+ individuals in general and specifically in relation to their experience of exercising with a peer group. This led me and Kevin Boyle, a founding member of GFR, to undertake a piece of original research.

We interviewed 12 GFR members to explore their experience of exercising with a peer support group. The overriding finding from our research was that exercising with peers represented a healthier way to meet people. We discovered that running improved participants’ physical health - no real surprise there. However, equally

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25 important was that being part of the club also impacted positively on participants’ mental and social wellbeing. People come to a club, like GFR, because they are looking for the mental and social wellbeing benefits just as much as improving their physical fitness. We know that exercising can help with mental health issues. Doing it with a peer group enhances this by offering additional support.

It was the emphasis of the social aspects of the club that were the most surprising part of our research. The participants really wanted to make it clear that the social connections the club provided was major part of why they kept returning. People wanted to join a sports club with others who identify as LGBT+. They wanted to be part of the community but not necessarily in an environment focused on alcohol.

The sense of connectedness to other LGBT+ people was a real positive and, for some, this has resulted in romantic relationships being forged. Representation was also really important. For those still coming to terms with their identity, seeing other LGBT+ people and being able to share stories and experiences was valuable.

Feeling safe and comfortable to be able to disclose things about themselves enhanced their overall wellbeing. This was of particular relevance to one of our participants who is from a BAME background and who had no desire to meet other LGBT+ people in a pub or nightclub.

So, what is the point? Sports clubs, like GFR, where LGBT+ individuals and their allies can meet and exercise together are important. They offer additional benefits to overall wellbeing that are, perhaps, harder to achieve when exercising on your own or in a traditional gym or club environment. Our research highlighted that when LGBT+ individuals exercise with a peer group, they find improvements in their physical, mental and social wellbeing. The challenge for clubs is to take steps to help alleviate those initial anxieties that potential new members may experience when coming along for the first time.

• T he original version of this article appeared on the LEAP Sports Scotland website in February 2022.

The findings of our research were published in the British Journal of Nursing in 2020: Hunter, D. J. & Boyle, K. (2020) “A healthier way to meet people: the experiences of LGBT people exercising with a peer group.” British Journal of Nursing, 29(18), pp.

1068-1073.

About the author

Dr David Hunter (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer in Adult Nursing and Healthcare at the University of the West of Scotland. He has been a member of Glasgow FrontRunners since 2013, serving on the organising committee in various roles over the years. He became a qualified jog leader in 2016.

David (left) and Kevin jogscotland magazine

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Run for Athletics Trust Scotland!

Launched in 2021, Athletics Trust Scotland has been established to continue to improve and support athletics in Scotland. It is proudly working with jogscotland and scottishathletics. In particular, ATS aims to provide support to those in the sport who are in need, for reasons of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage.

Athletics Trust Scotland is delighted to be partnering with a range of running and walking events across Scotland to support the development of running and athletics in Scotland. The charity is looking for those who are passionate about our sport and want to run for ATS! With three main project areas, ATS requires as much funding as possible.

Awareness at this early stage is crucial and you will be one of our first to support the development of the charity.

Transforming Lives – ATS will use athletics and running to make a significant difference to peoples’ lives in communities across Scotland. The charity aims to help increase physical activity, improve health and wellbeing, and create community leaders in areas of low levels of physical activity and underrepresentation.

Targeting Medals - ATS aims to make that difference for future generations by investing in young people to create supportive environments, as well as ensuring that Scotland has fit for purpose and world-class national and local training facilities. This will ensure every athlete in Scotland has the best opportunity to succeed on the global stage, thereby inspiring the next generation of young Scots.

Strengthening Communities - There has never been a more important time to rebuild our communities and support the growth and development of initiatives such as jogscotland. Supporting community-based programmes and establishing new interventions to encourage healthy activity is at the heart of the project. Providing innovation in local communities is crucial to positioning athletics and running groups/clubs to successfully support the recovery from Covid across Scotland.

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Run for ATS ATS would be thrilled for you to fundraise at one of its affiliated events such as the Loch Ness Marathon, the Kiltwalk or the Edinburgh Marathon Festival. The charity would also be delighted for you to support ATS at any other event that you are preparing for.

Fundraising Manager, Kyle Greig, said: “Your support will literally change lives for the better. The global pandemic has affected everyone differently, but we must act now to encourage our community’s health and wellbeing, where the medicine of sport is often overlooked. ATS is stepping in to fill this void, and to go further by allowing talented athletes and runners from any background to be on a level playing field with their competitors and reach their dreams.”

As part of Team ATS, you will be supported every step of the way. You will receive: • A FREE technical vest or T-shirt • FREE Active Root products • A digital welcome pack to help with your fundraising & training • Support & training advice from our in-house experts For more information on how to get be part of Team ATS, please visit or contact kyle.greig@athleticstrustscotland.org.uk or visit www.athleticstrustscotland.org.uk/support Alternatively, you can start fundraising for ATS through our JustGiving page below

Start fundraising for Athletics Trust Scotland

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Issue three 2022

Walk, jog, run with jogscotland Get fit and have fun with our sociable, supportive jogging groups for all levels – beginners welcome!

Affordable, friendly sessions with trained Jog Leaders.

Find your nearest group at www.jogscotland.org.uk/local-groups