Stride Magazine - Winter 2018

stride

the jogscotland magazine | Winter 2018

Meet our Annual Award winners Gail’s 11 stone lighter and leading the way!

“I found happiness – and love – at jogscotland” Our new Community Strides project Plus… the best winter running events for your diary 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 | 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.

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

Community Strides coordinator

Community Strides 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: Front cover - Loch Ness Marathon – Mattias Kremer Photography.

Official Awards pictures – Bobby Gavin www.thatonemoment.co.uk Published four times a year by scottishathletics. Copyright©2018 Scottish Athletics Ltd. www.jogscotland.org.uk

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Winter 2018

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Welcome!

by Sue Gyford

Stride magazine | Winter 2018 It’s been an incredibly busy, rewarding few months for jogscotland, so this edition is packed with news.

We marked Mental Health Week in October, welcoming home Sammy, Agnes and Lee, the three toy pups who had been touring Scotland to encourage groups to talk about mental health and wellbeing. It’s been so inspiring to see how jog groups embraced Sammy’s Road Trip.

We then launched our next initiative, the Wellbeing Champions. Our two volunteers, Jenni and Ted, have already been getting out and about to visit jogscotland groups - it’s brilliant to have them on the team.

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With the number of girls taking part in sport significantly lower than the number of boys, it was great to be involved with Active Girls Day and do our part to redress the balance.

We also had our Jog Leader Conference and the Annual Awards – it’s such a privilege every year to meet our nominees and hear them talk so passionately about what jogscotland means to them.

As ever, this edition also has plenty of brilliant stories of some of the everyday heroes of the jogscotland community. To read about Gail Tennant’s incredible turnaround in her health and see her now leading others to follow in her footsteps is wonderful. Alison Clark’s tale of finding happiness – and romance – at her jogscotland group will certainly bring a smile to your face!

And finally, a special shout-out to cover star, Beth Smillie, of Muir of Ord jogscotland. Jog Leader Joan Munro tells us Beth loves jogscotland, and adds: “Rain, hail or shine, Beth turns up. She joined our 2017 C25K group with her mum, who was also a complete beginner and who also loves jogscotland.” Well done, Beth!

Sue Gyford, Editor

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Contents News and events Community Strides jogscotland Awards 2018 Half the size, twice the joy Wellbeing Champions Active Girls Day Loving life David Syme - Jogging along Jog Leader Conference Race directory

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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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News and events Sammy heads home After five months, 26 jog groups, 30 sessions, hundreds of runners, and a huge impact across the country, our mental health initiative, Sammy’s Road Trip, drew to a close in time for World Mental Health Day on 10 October.

The Road Trip saw three toy pups, Sammy, Agnes and Lee, visiting jog groups all over the country to inspire them to talk about mental health and wellbeing.

From the Isle of Harris to Galashiels, from Glasgow to Muir of Ord, groups sent photographs of the pups’ travels and reports of the mental wellbeing-focussed sessions they’d held. Every single one of the groups taking part said that the initiative had a positive effect on their group, and just over a third said it had even increased their membership because people were so keen to be involved.

Thanks to all the groups who greeted a pup and took the tour to their hearts!

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Muddy Muckers! jogscotland Airdrie raised a fantastic £695 for St Andrew’s Hospice by taking part in the Muddy Muckers event in September.

The 2K mud run in Cumbernauld includes an impressive 22 obstacles!

In Remembrance Inverness jogscotland marked Remembrance Sunday together this year.

As the country remembered the 100th anniversary of the First World War, the group donned their poppies and took part in a canal-side run over a distance of 11.11K. They completed their route in time join the two minute silence.

We were delighted to support the SAMH Stomp at Murrayfield Stadium on 6 October. The event, which raises funds for our partners, the Scottish Association for Mental Health, saw hundreds of participants stomping up and down thousands of steps of Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh. Our own Jo Stevens and SAMH’s physical activity lead Robert Nesbitt racked up an impressive 7,400 steps each!

Quiz time!

The third annual North East jogscotland quiz night will be held on 15 February at Mannofield Cricket Club in Aberdeen. The previous two quiz nights, organised by Alan Millar of Queen’s Cross jogscotland, have raised an incredible £2000 for charity, as well as providing a brilliant opportunity for lots of jog groups to get together and have fun.

Tickets are £10 each including stovies or mac and cheese - to enter teams of up to five people, email Alan on addmillar@yahoo.co.uk. jogscotland magazine

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Community Strides We are delighted to announced that jogscotland is to benefit from a twoyear grant from the Changing Lives Fund. The money has been given to us in partnership with SAMH, to improve the number of people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities getting active with jogscotland.

The new project, called Community Strides, will work in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen, helping people to improve their physical and mental health by being active.

We are delighted that Andrea Gavin and Laura Andrea Gavin Laura Kirkland Kirkland, who have been working with jogscotland for a year on our participation and communities projects, will now work on Community Strides. Laura said: “I am excited to be reaching into communities within Aberdeen and Dundee that are currently under-represented in jogscotland.

“Not only will we be working with adults but also children and I am looking forward to creating more family-focused activities. The four cities chosen were based on their high percentage of BME communities - it was felt that they would benefit the most from the project. Hopefully this will also open doors to help people get involved in other sports.”

Andrea added: “One of the things I’m looking forward to doing is working with Saheliya.

They’re a project supporting black, minority ethnic, refugee and migrant women, based in Leith, in Edinburgh. We’ll be working with the adults that use the wellbeing and mental health support service, tailoring some of our programmes to the needs of the group, and getting more folk active. I’ll also be setting up projects in Glasgow, which are still in the planning stages – watch this space for more information!”

Community Strides was one of just 17 projects to receive grants from the Changing Lives Fund, which is a partnership between the Scottish Government, sportscotland, the Robertson Trust and Spirit of 2012.

If you’d like to be involved with Community Strides, or would like to find out more, please contact Andrea on andrea.gavin@scottishathletics.org.uk or Laura on laura.kirkland@scottishathletics.org.uk.

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Awards 2018 The 2018 jogscotland Awards were presented at the Glasgow Hilton on 3 November, and it was a fabulous night for all involved.

We had winners in four categories, presented as part of the FPSG scottishathletics and jogscotland awards. Winners and shortlisted nominees heard from special guest, double Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly Holmes, and partied the night away with the cream of Scottish athletics talent - including Laura Muir, announced on the night as Athlete of the Year 2018.

The winners were – jogscotland Achiever of the Year Gary Brown (jogscotland Meldrum) Gary suffers from stage 5 kidney failure and undergoes dialysis three times a week, for five hours at a time. On being told he needed to lose weight and improve his fitness in hope of receiving a kidney transplant, he joined jogscotland Meldrum.

Despite his incredibly draining treatment and variable health, he has been determined to keep up his running habit, has completed several 5Ks and continues to improve. He has not only lost weight but gained both confidence and new friends, in the face of tremendous challenges. jogscotland Leader of the Year Alex Bain & Ian Donaldson (STAART) Alex and Ian are the backbone of the group, strong, supportive and selfless. It was clear from their nominations that they not only make great leaders of the group as a whole, but spend huge amounts of time and energy providing individual support to each member of the group to help them achieve their goals. Testimonies of this were received from a wide variety of runners, including a 79-year-old, a jogger with mental health difficulties and another in recovery from a stroke, who all felt Alex and Ian had supported them individually with great care and attention, as well as the group.

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jogscotland Group of the Year - Edinburgh Frontrunners Edinburgh Frontrunners is the city’s running group for LGBT+ people and straight friends. The group caters for all levels from walkers to ultrarunners. The group aims to provide a welcoming and safe space for all. Not only does it work to combat homophobia and transphobia in sport, it also supports many members with chronic health conditions and disabilities including Crohn’s disease, mental health issues, deafness and cerebral palsy.

The group is a world pioneer when it comes to non-binary inclusion in running – its Pride Run 2017 was the first race in Scotland to officially recognise non-binary entrants and the group has advised on the wider move to allow event organisers to recognise non-binary athletes in Scotland.

SAMH Mental Wellbeing Award - HM Perth Prison – Jog Con The prison hosted a Jog Leader course in May 2018, training two members of staff and six prisoners. They set up a Couch to 10K programme, running laps of the football field and prison every Wednesday morning. Both leaders and joggers improved not only their physical, but mental health considerably, and had a knock-on effect on the wider prison population, with banter from the so-called “window warriors” who looked on – and a waiting list for the next programme.

The prison officers nominated the leaders for their determination to improve both their own and other people’s lives within very limited circumstances, making them more positive and hopeful, and “helping us in breaking down barriers and building bridges to help transform lives of people within their closed community.” jogscotland magazine

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Awards 2018 As well as honouring the Award winners, we were also delighted to celebrate the achievements of the shortlisted nominees Achiever of the Year Chris Baird (West Dunbartonshire Leisure) – Chris has Stickler Syndrome, which causes eye, ear and joint problems. When his health deteriorated, he began to visit the gym, improve his diet, then joined jogscotland.

He has trained as a jog leader to help others along the same path.

Gillian McDonald (JogPeebles) – Gillian’s twin sons Stuart and Matthew have Fragile X, which affects both physical and mental development. Gillian has raised an incredible £16,000 for the Fragile X Society through events including the London Marathon.

Leader of the Year Ros Jemmett (Alness Area jogscotland) – Ros is praised as modest, calm and grounded, with time for absolutely everyone.

She was key in getting Alness parkrun off the ground – one nomination said “This town runs because of Ros”.

Lorna Simpson (Let’s Go Linlithgow) – Lorna has been particularly skilled at helping beginners who thought they could never run, to exceed their own expectations. Thanks to her encouragement, a huge proportion of her original Couch to 5K group have continued to run.

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Group of the Year Newmachar Running Group - A relatively new group, NRG has quickly established itself, one nomination describing “the village now awash with the group’s electric orange T-shirts on Tuesdays and Thursdays.” The group offers suitable challenges for runners at all levels.

Ready, Steady, Go Pitreavie - The group was set up by Pitreavie AAC “athletics mums” Nicola Moriarty and Anita Dow. They created an integrated pathway with the club’s endurance section, which has grown from around 30 members to 120 as a result – a great example of jogscotland group and scottishathletics club working together.

SAMH Mental Wellbeing Award Jog Scotland Kintore - Among the sessions offered by JSK is a monthly men’s social run which encourages male runners to talk openly about anything, including mental health. All leaders have received SAMH mental health training, or themselves have lived experience of mental health problems.

Ciaran Young (Tain Joggers) - Ciaran has autism, learning difficulties and epilepsy, with limited communication skills which can make it hard for him to fit into groups and make him anxious and stressed at times. However, since joining Tain Joggers with mum Angie, he has fitted in brilliantly, becoming a much-loved member of the group.

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Half the size, twice the joy

by Gail Tennant

Gail, of jogscotland Airdrie, has lost more than half her body weight since she started running and eating more healthily. She’s 11 stone lighter – but more importantly, running has made her happier and healthier.

When my friend started running to get fitter and healthier, I thought it was amazing but because I weighed nearly 22 stone, I assumed I would never be able to run and join in with her. My friend explained that she couldn’t run to start with and used a Couch to 5K app, but I couldn’t imagine being able to do anything like that.

I thought about it quite a while and in a moment of madness I downloaded an app and went out to a path behind my house so I wouldn’t be seen. I tried to run for the first 60 seconds and just thought “Oh my I can’t do this.” I did try to persevere with the app because of her belief in me but after a few weeks I gave up.

It took me to enter an event to get motivated. I tried the C25K app again, and this time pushed myself to keep going. My friend lives in Aviemore so although I was supported, I did my runs on my own, I found keeping track of my runs and seeing small improvements, spurred me on.

I joined my local slimming group in March 2016, since then I have lost 11.5 stone in total, reaching target in September 18. As the weight came down my stamina and times improved, I have now completed countless 5Ks (I love parkrun), 10Ks and now 14 Half Marathons - the feeling at the end is still just as amazing.

I desperately wanted to join a running group and meet like-minded people but I was so scared that I couldn’t keep up with a group, I would talk myself out of it. I kept looking at the jogscotland website and Facebook pages but just didn’t have the courage to go even though I received encouragement from current members.

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I contacted them and named a day so I wouldn’t back out - it was the best move I ever made. They are a wonderful, inclusive, encouraging group and I didn’t have anything to worry about. Since joining, I looked forward to every run for the social side as well as the run itself and my running improved because I pushed myself a bit harder at times even if it was just to have a chat with the person at the front!

Being at jogscotland Airdrie has helped my confidence so much that I went on the Jog Leader Course in August 2018. It was a great course, I thoroughly enjoyed it and met people from other groups. I love taking out different running abilities and sharing my enthusiasm for running. I hope that I will inspire others to keep going and enjoy the many benefits that running has.

I entered my first marathon, Loch Ness, in September, something I never could have imagined doing once upon a time. I received so much encouragement and support from the group, one of the leaders helped with my training and runners joined me for some miles on Sundays when I was out for my long runs – totally overwhelming.

The marathon was hard but I loved it, my training paid off and I completed it in 4hrs 45mins. I have already signed up for Loch Ness again next year.

Running has completely changed my life and my family members’ lives for the better.

My family can see how much happier and healthier I am now. My daughters have supported me so much and my eldest daughter now runs with me, I am so lucky. jogscotland magazine

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Wellbeing Champions We’re delighted to introduce you to our new jogscotland Wellbeing Champions, Jenni Rees-Jenkins and Ted McPake. Jenni and Ted are both Jog Leaders, and as our Wellbeing Champions, will work as volunteers to help us promote mental health and wellbeing.

Jenni and Ted both have lived experience of mental health issues, and are open to using their own experiences to help others. They are also passionate about the ways that jogging can help support mental health. They will meet jogscotland groups and help them identify and overcome potential barriers to participation that people with mental health issues might face when it comes to getting active.

They have undergone training with our partners, SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health), and while they are not trained counsellors, are open to listening to others and helping them find the help support they need.

Their work is one of the projects included in the action plan we committed to when we signed SAMH’s Mental Health Charter for Physical Activity and Sport.

If you’d like a visit from the Champions, or would like to know more about their work, please email Jo on jo.stevens@scottishathletics.org.uk.

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I am trying really hard to live my best life and share how I coped with the darkest times, and running was at the heart of my survival. For me it’s about getting peace in the hills, having the energy to get up to see the world in its most beautiful state.

We’re not trained counsellors, but having trained with SAMH, we can work more confidently with those who need our help. We can “see” them and provide an ear to just listen and maybe chat about our own lives, mixed with insight from SAMH, and direct them to where they can receive more professional help.

I think it’s important to take time to just listen while running – it’s a time you can be at your most open and most vulnerable. And for those who have mental health issues, running can help greatly.

Ted McPake Mental health and wellbeing are very important to me because of my own experiences and hurdles. I want to get the message out that mental health is just as important as physical health and that it shouldn’t be a taboo subject.

The more it is talked about and the more general awareness there is, people are less likely to feel shame in asking for help.

Running has helped me through difficult times and I want to promote how running can help people cope with the stresses of life and how positive it can be. Working with SAMH will give me the additional skills so that I am available to advise Jog Leaders on signs to look out for when they are running with their groups and offer suggestions on dealing with scenarios.

I have more understanding of how someone with mental health issues will feel and react in certain situations that may not be recognised by someone who has not had any experience with mental health issues.

Through sharing my own experiences I hope to make myself a trusted person to talk to. It is important to recognise that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution for mental health issues and wellbeing. I hope that using my own experiences, along with training from SAMH, I can help others, even if it’s just using some humour to relax a new runner or having a cuppa with someone who just needs someone to talk to. jogscotland magazine

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Active Girls Day took place on 5 October this year and we were delighted to have some jogscotland sessions as part of the day.

Studies show that girls are much less likely than boys to take part in sport and physical activity, so Active Girls Day encourages more girls to get active, and to show them it can be fun. It wasn’t just the younger girls getting in on the act – lots of jogscotland’s women took part too, to provide role models to the youngsters and celebrate their own love of physical activity.

Our communities project coordinator, Andrea Gavin, who oversaw the day’s activities for jogscotland, said: “Active Girls Day was amazing! Across the membership of jogscotland we were able to have lots of different levels of activity happen: Mums on the Run, Junior jogscotland and female only sessions (including us in the office!)

“I was very lucky to go along to Firpark School in Motherwell, where we had some very enthusiastic girls taking part and they want more sessions. The school and I have plans for me to visit regularly and help keep the girls active! There are plans next year to make Active Girls Day even bigger.”

Jogscotland Portlethen led a girls’ session at Portlethen Academy with movement drills and a jog and produced a brilliant wee slideshow showing them all at work. The girls were given homework to find out more about a favourite inspirational athlete – and we hear Paralympian and Strictly star Laura Steadman was a popular choice!

Ardler Runing Ladies in Dundee held a session with relays, cupcakes and goody bags. Other jogscotland groups arranging their own special runs included Muirhead Marauders, Inverurie Mums on the Run, AAA Women’s Fitness in Falkirk and Mums on the Run St Andrews.

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Loving life by Alison Clark When Alison first met a group of runners in her local park, she was not in a good place - depressed, lonely, and self-medicating with alcohol.

But JogScotland Kintore persuaded her to give them a try and she discovered a new love of life – and even found romance!

I first stumbled across JogScotland Kintore (JSK) while out walking my dog in the local park. The leaders explained who they were, and suggested I join. I responded with “I can’t run!” but they were so warm and friendly, and assured me I’d be made very welcome. The seed was planted, but I’d been struggling with depression and although I knew exercise could help, I just didn’t have the confidence.

Another couple of months passed. I felt so low and lonely. As well as being on anti-depressants, I was self-medicating with too much alcohol. Something had to change. My mum wasn’t well and depended on my support. I tried hypnotherapy, which was the kickstart I needed to cut out the alcohol, come off the medication, and give JSK a try. I remember my first session, circuits in the school quad, gasping for breath after 30 seconds! I was so unfit, but everyone was so encouraging that I persevered for a few weeks until a pulled ligament forced me to stop.

I had already begun to feel the benefits though, and when my injury healed, I went on holiday to Tenerife with the C25K app on my phone. I walked/ran along the prom at sunrise every other morning. I loved it and in January 2018 re-joined the C25K group, saying it would be a huge achievement just to be able to complete a 5K – although aged 56, I did wonder if I was too old to start running.

In March, I ran my first 5K race! I didn’t run the whole way, but the support from everyone was incredible. The shouts from the cheer-squad gave me that extra push to finish strong with a big smile. 2018 had got off to a great start. I felt fitter, was getting to know others in the group, and felt ‘part of something’ which felt so

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good. I thought I might finally be getting my mojo back when I began to develop a crush on my new running buddy, David.

Then my world came crashing down. In April, my mum’s partner had a sudden heart attack and passed away. Mum’s Alzheimer’s meant the trauma was amplified and had to be re-lived almost daily. Her physical health was also deteriorating quickly, which turned out to be the return of a previous cancer, and after a few weeks in hospital she also passed away. It was a very difficult time and without JSK, I could have quickly slipped into the darkness again. There were many times when someone simply asking how I was, or sharing a few kind words, meant so much to me. I also discovered how helpful it was to F.E.A.R. (Forget Everything and Run).

Discovering that my feelings for David were mutual was a bonus! He was right there to support me when I needed it and has been ever since – most recently when I also lost my beloved dog Molly. Along with our JSK family we’ve gone on to do various 5K and 10K races. I’ve loved the events, sharing in others joy (and pain) and being part of the legendary JSK cheer-squad.

My goal for 2018 was a sub-60 10K, and sub-30 5K, and I’m so proud I’ve achieved both! I laughed to myself when I recently dropped my car at the garage for its service and turned down the offer of a courtesy car in favour of running the 5K back home!

Thanks to JSK, I’m healthier, happier, and feel much more able to cope with life’s challenges. JSK- so much more than a running club. jogscotland magazine

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Jogging along

by David Syme A solo run recently had me thinking of acronyms used by athletes. I was chugging along, aware that I had a 10K race in less than a week and that I was, shall we say, light on preparation for it. What time should I aim for?

For the last few years I have set a target of one hour; achieving it and missing it by a minute, maybe two – all of which I consider to be respectable performances for a mature chap built like me. But this next one? Far from a Personal Best (PB) I was looking at a possible PW (no need to spell it out). I am in the zone for recording PWs now, as age and irregular training patterns affect my speed and endurance. Perhaps I should prepare for such results with a range of acronym add-ons to explain why I am becoming progressively slower. How about PWSP – Personal Worst because of Stomach Problem? PWAA - Personal Worst Alcohol-Affected? Or PWDK – Personal Worst with Dodgy Knee? A regular might be PWAGV – Personal Worst After Grandchildren Visit, when playing football with them brings a whole range of minor aches and pains. My marathon PW came in London 2015. I could record for that race PW STCx2, meaning Personal Worst but Stopped To Chat twice; well, that’s what you do in London. To date I have only once been branded Did Not Finish. This was a marathon in Germany, two laps round the tarmac perimeter of a reservoir near Essen, not many entrants. As I reached the start/finish after the first tedious lap my legs took me off the course without consulting the brain – DNFBTD - Did Not Finish, Bored To Death. It took me a long time to get over that.

One running acronym I would not mind, PW or not, is LTF – Last To Finish.

Someone has to come last, and although I have not yet had this honour I am never far away, and I have noticed that whoever is LTF gets the loudest cheer of the day.

Footnote: I finished the East Neuk 10K in a time a few minutes over the hour. It is a flat course, I had felt good, had run hard all the way and had hoped for a faster time. It was not to be, so my acronym for 10K races from now on is going to be OTHER, Over The Hour Every Race.

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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Jog Leader Conference

The Emirates Arena in Glasgow was the venue for a special gathering on 3 November, as we held the 2018 Jog Leader Conference.

There was a mental health theme for the day, which kicked off with Robert Nesbitt from our partners SAMH, who praised jog leaders for their enthusiasm and openness to learning about mental health. He also led a workshop on the barriers that can be faced by different people when accessing physical activity.

Leader Jordan Stitt from West Dunbartonshire shared his own experience of supporting his friend who had mental health issues, and how he used running and exercise to look after his own wellbeing during this time. The day included workshops featuring Glasgow City Physiotherapy presenting on injury prevention, and our partners DW Fitness First, on strength and conditioning with a range of accessories including ViPR tubes, sand bags, kettle bells and bosu balls.

Commonwealth Games high jumper Jayne Nisbet has been open about her own experience of eating disorders, and talked about the ways in which social media can affect body image, and what to say if you think someone needs help.

We also had a talk from Olympian Freya Ross, touching on the positive and negative aspects of life as an elite athlete. She stayed to sign copies of her cookbook Food on the Run, donating £1 for every book sale to SAMH. We’ve had great feedback from participants – comments received included: “A fabulous and inspiring day with some really relevant content,” “A really excellent event, very informative, helpful and got lots of ideas,” and “Everyone who spoke today were great, engaging and enthusiastic!”

We hope to host a series of further events in different parts of Scotland giving more Jog Leaders the chance to get together, share experiences, and take part in workshops and other CPD opportunities. jogscotland magazine

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Now that winter has arrived, it’s the ideal time to take on a night time run just you and the open road.

Late night runs are a great way to keep fit with a bit of privacy. However, there are still pedestrians and motorists about, so it’s vital to make sure you can be easily seen to help keep you safe.

To gain some expert insight into keeping fit during winter, we spoke to New Balance athletes Harry Aikines-Aryeetey (one of Britain’s top sprinters), Gemma Steel, (a former European cross country champion) and Olympic middle-distance runner Ciara Mageean.

Harry explains how he prepares for winter fitness with strength training and a touch of endurance. He also tells us what he looks for when choosing his activewear.

“I look for performance and power in my winter clothing. Gear like the New Balance core space dye ¼ zip top works perfectly for me in cold weather. I wear this type of kit for the longer track sessions I do this time of year, but when I’m in the gym, I look for clothing like the New Balance tenacity T-shirt, as it gives me greater control and easy movements”.

For distance runners like Gemma, visibility is key in the winter. However, it’s just as important to find kit that supports you as you run.

“I run early in the morning and then again in the evening after work, so obviously being seen is my main concern. I tend to go for jackets like the New Balance Accelerate Hi-Viz jacket, because you can be seen easily in it but it still has the right technology.

Find out more about essential winter running kit here.

Inside Track at www.dwfitnessfirst.com

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Winter 2018

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Race Directory There’s an event for everyone, go to events.scottishathletics.org.uk for full details.

2 December The Bob Stark Memorial Run, Falkland 8 December Gala Harriers’ Festive 5k Fun Run, Tweedbank 9 December Pitreavie Jingle Bell, Dunfermline 15 December Project Trust North Berwick Beach Santa Run 16 December Lossiemouth 10 Mile Turkey Trot 26 December Beecraigs Festive Handicap and Cockleroy Chaser Hill Fun Run, Linlithgow 30 December Christmas Pudding Fancy Dress Fun Run, Strathclyde Park 1 January Portobello Promathon, Edinburgh 2 January Beith Harriers New Year Road Race 2019 Lenzie Jogs jogscotland magazine

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12 January Simplyhealth Great Winter Run, Stirling 17 February Kinloss to Lossiemouth Half Marathon 3 March Nairn 10K & fun run Arbroath Smokies 10 Mile Ladies Only Road Race 10 Mile Road Race (Lasswade AC)

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Winter 2018

Free parkrun events (5K) every Saturday at 9.30am Aberdeen Alness Aviemore Ayr Bressay Camperdown Crichton Drumchapel Dunfermline Edinburgh Eglinton

Elgin Ellon Falkirk Fort William Ganavan Sands Girvan Prom Greenock Hay Lodge Hazlehead Inverness Kirkcaldy

Kirkwall Lanark Moor Linwood Livingston Loch Leven Lochore Meadows Montrose Perth Plean Pollok Portobello

Ruchill Springburn St Andrews Stonehaven Strathclyde Thurso Tollcross Troon Victoria Vogrie

Junior parkrun events (2K) for four to 14-year-olds every Sunday at 9.30am Barshaw Dumfries Duthie Helix

Inverleith Jacks Road Loch Leven Perth

Prestwick Oval Rouken Glen Stirling Strathmartine

The Meadows Victoria , Glasgow

Find out more at parkrun.org.uk jogscotland magazine

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stride Winter 2018

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