Life Work Run Repeat

If I never laced up my trainers and discovered a love of running, my life could have been completely different, most likely worse. Maybe I would not have shared my mental health story Run for your life about how putting one foot in front of the other helped me fight back against the silent terror of OCD and depression to regain control of everything I cherished.

Although I have never been more than an average runner, my hobby gave me a sense of meaning and purpose, boosting my confidence in my career and social interactions. Like a school tie, it allows you to connect with other runners in the workplace, to run shoulder to shoulder with influential people who will remember your personal best times and maybe your name if you are fast enough.

Just kidding! I can joke about personal best times as I will never set another one. That’s okay as I am still a runner and part of a global community. Like all communities, everyone is welcome with inclusion coming in waves. Once you find your flow you can find your rhythm and groove with nothing to prove. If you get faster, remember where you started.

Third Running Boom

Runner’s World magazine reported the arrival of a “third running boom” after the earlier peaks in the 1970s and 1990s. This boom is characterised by an increased participation, especially among previously marginalised groups, and a shift in perception of who can be a runner. In 2023, approximately 6.3 million people in England participated in running, with this number increasing year-over-year.

My observations at mass participation races suggest running is more inclusive than when I started 20 years ago. I have run with the Cabinet Office and Home Office running clubs and always aim to run the Last Friday of the Month 5K in Hyde Park where I learn age is just a number with people in their sixties beating my 23-minute finish times.

With London Marathon fast approaching you might get the running bug, join or form a running club, run to work or make lunchtimes your running time. The Civil Service Sports Club has a running community you can join. Wherever you live you can be a runner. If you join a running club to make connections outside work, make sure you log off on time and live your life.

If you are looking for love, running club dating is trending and with clubs that cater for all abilities and lifestyles, limber up and give it a go. Start by being yourself, focus on running, then see what happens. If you run out of things to say on your date you can talk about running and whether you will ever do an Ironman.

Making it safer for runners

Busy lives can make it difficult to carve out time to run. Many times I have heard that people are too scared to run alone, or they want to lose weight before they run. Maybe someone started running but they were harassed or abused and no longer want to run. I have experienced verbal abuse from car window comedians and had a heated exchange with a runner during a race when my splashing through a puddle got his socks wet. And there are many tutting runners who want you to get out their way. Look, if you’re that fast, run past me.

Confrontation lurks everywhere in society. The fear of what might happen can make you stay at home as much as the rain and the cold. Strava's 2024 "Year in Sport" report found that women's runs and rides were 40% more likely to be indoors compared to men's. This begs the question: Do women feel safe to run outside, especially in the dark?

This Guardian article was written two years ago - Lots of women feel unsafe running in the dark so we give up something we love - still resonates today and challenges my perception that seeing women running alone on the streets at night doesn’t mean everything is fine with society. ‘We are not scared of being punched. We are scared of being raped and killed. Nothing about our fears is irrational or cowardly,’ writes the journalist. Her words empowering you to do your bit to make the streets safer for women.

I am proud to work for the Home Office and want its strategy to tackle violence against women and girls to be a success.

When facing a difficult situation, becoming a runner can give you the courage to face the fear and do what you need to do to make your life better. You will find support in the running community and 99 per cent of the time we get on with motorists, cyclists, walkers and everyone else we share the streets, parks and trails with.

Running can improve your career

Running can increase self-confidence, resilience and time management skills. It gives you an appetite for life and the ambition to discover and fulfil your potential. It teaches you about sacrifice, disappointment and the rewards of hard work. It can help the other aspects of your personal life shine. Not everyone has to run to feel good. We are all different and can make the world better one step at a time.

If you like reading, my anthology of short stories about running is almost finished.