BuildForce Blog – October 2024, by Angela Forbes MBE
In August I reluctantly edged towards my mid-40’s, grateful to be alive and kicking, but a little melancholy as I am edging towards the age Mum was when she was diagnosed with cancer. A cancer she initially beat, only for it to return, terminal, a year later.
Like many others, reaching the same age as a parent you have lost, does make me ponder the ‘genetics v lifestyle’ debate, convincing myself, as we all do, I am just about on the right side of healthy and any improvements will happen mañana, mañana.
Then I met Sally Orange MBE, who told her incredible story at our BuildForceInsightDay, sponsored by Morgan Sindall plc, in the spirit of WorldMentalHealthDay. A story of determination, focus and meaning. Awe-inspiring in the power of running and the importance of physical activity and a positive mindset. Like Juvenal wrote in Satire “Mens sana in corpore sano”, a healthy mind in a healthy body, I thought I’d try this bizarre and peculiar phenomenon of running (with a few of the BuildForce team having succumbed already).
I’ve quite zen and content as a person. If I stand on my front doorstep, I find great joy in closing my eyes, taking deep breaths and enjoying the moment. I don’t have an overwhelming urge to move, in anyway. Against all my natural instincts, I put my earbuds in, ramped up some dance music and tried to…………..well……..take off. I started slow and ran for a full song round the block and back to where I started – a full 3 minutes and 5 seconds. I didn’t want to exert myself as I had washed, and blow dried my hair.
Next morning, back out, I ran for 6 minutes playing the same song twice this time. Not as bad as I feared. I didn’t mess the barnet nor break a sweat, but my heart rate was up a little, all very manageable.
This went on every day for a week, then ten days. A weekend away didn’t stop me as I took my trainers with me. I’ve now been running every day for a month, cumulatively a marathon and a bit in that time. My aim is to get the heart rate up. I wouldn’t say I’m a runner, I don’t run for any more than 10-20 mins each day, but it’s enough for me. I’m also running to my weekly PT session, over a decade of intense Pilates and stretches to manage a dodgy lower back (aka sitting for long periods in front of my laptop).
What Mums illness has taught me is that life is not on our terms. We need to be grateful for what we have. Some of us are going through the most horrific experiences, so whilst life is on my side I’m going to keep living it and running like I stole it. And when life feels short, running will make it feel longer!
Stay well and look after yourself, we get one shot at this.
Angela