Bury ICR runner Ruth talks running, lockdown and the NHS

I work as a paediatric dietitian at the West Suffolk Hospital and see first hand the amazing work of the NHS. At the start of lockdown, my family had symptoms of coronavirus. After being in isolation for two weeks, and feeling unwell for a week, I saw ‘the 5k for the NHS’ fundraiser, on the I Can Run Facebook page. This was the motivation I needed to start running again. I completed the 5k with my daughter on her bike. It was lovely to be outside again, and I felt proud to make my donation to support local hospitals.

I started my running journey in January 2019, after signing up to run 10k in Thetford Forest the following March. This was to raise money for the West Suffolk Hospital Paediatric diabetes charitable fund, which helps the children and young people I work with. The fund is used to buy equipment and support social events for the children and their families, such as roller skating, laser tag and a Christmas party. I started couch to 5k, but had to progress through it quicker, to get closer to 10k in eight weeks. The actual run was challenging yet exhilarating at the same time. I realised that I enjoyed running, and particularly being outdoors. My fitness level was also the best it had been in years and it really had a positive effect on my mental health.

I tried to continue to run 5k once a week, but found motivation hard sometimes. I then saw the ICR group on Facebook and their free run in Bury. This was just what I needed: running outside, with a group of positive, inspiring women. This gave me the motivation for my next personal challenge, the Bury St Edmunds running festival. I completed 10k, five minutes faster than the first time. Since then I have also completed a couple of ‘race at your pace’ challenges which kept me going during the winter months, with the incentive of the medal and running top! Running with the group in Bury really helped during the cold, dark nights.

I have continued to run weekly during lockdown and look forward to the time that the ICR group can start again. In the meantime, it is great to hear about others continuing their running on the Facebook page.

Keep running and be safe everyone.