James won our ballot place and is raising money for Cancer Research UK please visit his page by clicking here and give what you can.
Good luck everyone running today and apologise if i've missed everyone.
I want to talk about something that is more than just stress, however. Something that is the leading cause of disability worldwide (1), yet we barely ever talk about. The reason is because last Wednesday I was looking forward to a nice long run which never happened. I had the day off, the weather was perfect, and I had achieved the right mix of activity and rest the previous day. So why didn’t I go? The reason is complex, but the result is that I just couldn’t get myself out of bed. I didn’t leave my flat for the entire day because I had been shrouded in a dark veil of depression. At this point I would like to point out that I am okay, this isn’t a cry for help, it’s an attempt to normalise something that for some reason society pretends isn’t happening.
So to be clear: yes, I live with depression and anxiety. And yes, I am still a normal functioning member of the human race despite this fact (well, kind of).
The fact is that depression is common: 24% of women and 13% of men in England are diagnosed with depression in their lifetime (2). This figure is known to be artificially low as many don’t seek medical help. Depression can be a deadly disease – a colossal 20.6% of people contemplate suicide at some point in their life (3) and in 2018 there were 6,514 suicides (over 16 per day), 75% of those were men (4).
From my experience of talking to fellow runners, many many of us have some form of mental health condition and use exercise as a management strategy. Which is great because the beneficial effects of exercise are well known in almost all medical conditions, including mental health. It is also frustrating as, when the black dog is humping my leg, it occasionally makes getting out for a run impossible. I have learned over the years that forcing myself out doesn’t actually help – I know that it does for some people, however. All that I feel when I am running against my will is profound emptiness and by the time I get home I am in a stinking bad mood. Now accept that there are times I just have to give my mind and body the time and space it needs to ride out the storm.
Learning to live around depression is about trial and error. I now know that the storms always pass. I didn’t always know that for a long while, and things became very bleak. I found a love of classical music through depression and began to appreciate small gifts of nature when out walking our beautiful county. This is opposed to the blatant practical joke that is middle-age: I mean, what the hell is the deal with ear hair? I can’t imagine any evolutionary or divine advantage to it, but there it is.
Anyway, the most important thing you can do if and when you experience any level of depression is talking. Just speak up. Grab a mate, go for a drink or stay in with a hot chocolate, and talk. You will not be judged, you will not feel worse, you will feel liberated more comfortable with your thoughts and better able to rationalise them. Do not repress your feelings and end up with intractable low moods and stomach ulcers – let it out. I imagine that this club is full of ears who would be glad to have a listen. I for one would happily sit and listen to anyone in need.
So if you find that you need a duvet day and you can’t cope with getting your gear on and hitting the pavement: don’t worry give your body and mind the time and space it needs – your trainers will be waiting for you.
More importantly, enjoy the times you have with those who you love as they love you too. Picture above is of me and my favourites. Stay safe.
Nik
1. Global Burden of Disease 2017 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalence Collaborators. Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 354 diseases and injuries for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet [Internet]. 2018 Nov 10 [cited 2020 Sept 30];392(10159):1789–858
2. Craig R, Fuller E, Mindell J (Eds). Health Survey for England 2014: Health, social care and lifestyles [Internet]. 2015. Available from: content.digital.nhs.uk
3. McManus S, Bebbington P, Jenkins R, Brugha T. Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 [Internet]. Leeds; 2016. Available from: content.digital.nhs.uk
4. Office for National Statistics. Suicides in the UK: 2018 registrations [Internet]. 2019. [cited 2020 Sept 30] Available from: ons.gov.uk
This weeks word is "M.A.R.A.T.H.O.N." with a bonus point for "M.E.D.A.L.
The entire team at Mickleover Running Club is thrilled to welcome you on board. We hope to meet you in person soon!
Over the last few years, I have taken part in a number of marathons and Ultras and have recently taken up cycling.
I entered C2C in a day this year and will be working towards that again next year!
Jo
Training to do coast to coast next year with Jo. The majority of my training is by myself so looking forward to training with others.
Cheers
Mark
Great work team.
Which means that you still have time to run the MRC style marathon.
So head out anytime heading up to and including 4th October and run any of these distances
2.6kWear fancy dress if you wish . Take a photo to celebrate your success , then post on MRC Facebook page.
Remember, there are prizes for the best fancy dress MRC and Mini MRC costume 🧡
Sarah
For one month only, Mickleover Running Club presents the Meadows Marathon. Simply run 26.2 miles around Mickleover Meadows during October to be join the draw to be in with the chance of winning a fabulous prizes.
This can be done as a single run of 26.2 miles you can run multiple days to do 26.2 miles in total.
To help you, we have made a couple of 2.62 mile strava segments so that you can discover the hidden secrets of the Meadows but doing these segments is optional.
At the end of the month, just let John S know what you have done in order to be entered into the draw.
As an added bonus knowing you have run 26.2 miles in October you can get yourself a Manchester Mara. 2020 finishers t-shirt and medal to pimp our October event!.
But when I met my husband it all came back as he is very sporty and also likes running so I decided to join a gym and entered the ramathon together!!!
It was the best run ever!!
