Why am I running a 100 miles race? You may well ask!

 

 

If you are going to do something that is hard, you better have a clear idea of why you are taking that course of action. Especially when it comes to running. Every reason you can find to persist is like a stave preventing a house from folding. So, this blog is part of my race strategy!

 

I picked up running in my early 30s and I haven’t stopped.  It’s been a brilliant way for me to process and organise my thoughts, deal with difficult emotions, build friendships and experience new vistas.

 

So, I’ve decided to try to run the South Downs Way 100 miles race in June and raise vital funds for the Mental Health Foundation, which I have the privilege to work for.

 

The goal is to complete the course in under 24 hours. I’ll need to get roughly 15,000 calories into my body, climb 12,700 feet and take at least 160,000 steps to reach the finish line. I know that if you give, every single donation will be another reason for me to keep going.

 

But why on earth go for 100miles?  Well, there are a few reasons…

 

Running to remember

Despite so much being spoken about mental health, we are still in foothills of understanding how to protect and support our mental health – and what that means for us as individuals, communities and as a society.  We still find it difficult to ask for help and too many of us have lost too much and endured too much to push this issue to the back of our minds.

Almost ten years ago, I lost my brother Daniel to suicide.  It was a shattering tragedy that I am still learning to live with.   I want to keep remembering my wonderful brother and finding ways to turn that terrible event into something that also brings consolation and healing.

This run will be a visible sign of my commitment to a future where we are able to prevent more distress and to support each other to experience good mental health more of the time.  As the CEO of the Mental Health Foundation, I passionately believe in the need for more investment in preventive action on mental health and your support will enable us to do that.

A sense of adventure

I’ve always loved adventure, seeing new places and taking on challenges that tested me.  This yearning for adventure has grown, especially after the last two years we’ve endured.

Last year, I completed my first 50mile race. In the pain of the aftermath, I made my family promise not to let me run a 100-mile race. I was convinced the combination of another 50 miles and the sleep deprivation wouldn’t be good for me and I may have been right!

And yet, I’ve decided to lace up again. The promise of adventure and all the comradery and fun that comes with it - is probably the biggest motivation. It’s my way of feeling fully alive.

Daring Greatly

The feeling of relief and pride in taking on something I found really difficult have been some of the best moments of my life. I have Theodore Roosevelt’s poem, Daring Greatly, on my wall. It is a reminder to me to challenge the fear of failure and to set audacious goals for the things you care about.

Buried in the human psyche is the need to have something we value to work for. We deeply need to find and give meaning for our lives – and personal or professional goals are a good way to achieve this. We talk a lot about the value of our work/life balance, but I prefer to think of it as having work/life ‘energy’.  I need things in work and out of work that give me fresh impetus, perspective and a sense of progress and they fuel my activities in other aspects of my life.  Goals help me settle my restless soul and I’ve noticed that as I have done so, the ruptures of existential angst have receded.

 

A feeling of anchoring

There is an essentialism to running long distances. The ego fades. You are left with your bare humanity in a state of complete exhaustion and that’s a great place to be! There’s something about the physical vulnerability of running long distances that gives me clarity and reminds me of what’s really important and what I value most in the life. In everyday life, it can be easy to lose track of that. There are so many distractions and I find running helps position what and who I care for, right at the centre of my attention.

 

So, there are my reasons; to remember, to adventure, to do something difficult and to anchor myself. Seems like four very good reasons to take on this 100-mile challenge.  Please do support me and give generously on my fundraising page.  

 

Your help will enable us to expand our Covid-19 advice hub and to keep using the evidence from our study that tracks the pandemic’s effects on mental health, to inform and influence governments and other decision-makers. We will grow our Covid Response Programme, which across the UK is responding to the needs of people who, research suggests, have been worst affected by the pandemic. 

 

 

 

I’d be really grateful for your support.

 

ENDS

World Suicide Prevention Day 2018

Next month will be the five-year anniversary since my brilliant brother Daniel died by suicide.   Dan’s life was cut short before he was 40 years old leaving behind his loving wife and two beautiful young sons.  All preventable deaths are devastating. But suicide can shatter families and friends like nothing else I’ve seen. 

I have gone onto understand that suicide is the biggest killer for all ages from 5-35 years old and the biggest killer of men under 50. It is without doubt the single biggest public health challenge on preventable deaths of our times. As a society, we need to bring together our brightest minds, our financial assets and the political will to see a sustained and significant reduction in deaths from suicide.

However, this blog is both about the signs of progress we are seeing and also a simple message about what you can do today, tomorrow and every day to help reduce the risk of suicide for you and your friends and family.

Here for some signs of hope;

Firstly, the latest statistics on suicide indicate that overall number of suicides in the UK and the Republic of Ireland are falling (6,213 people in 2017 vs 6639 in 2015). For men (who are still three times more likely to die by suicide), the suicide rate is at its lowest for 30 years. Female suicide rate is rising in some parts of the UK but falling in Scotland and Ireland.  Rates since 1985 have been falling and we need to accelerate this trend.

Secondly, we were pleased last month that the Scottish Government heeded our call to establish a special body to look at tackling suicide and providing support to bereaved families (who are some of the most at risk themselves of suicide). Scotland is taking a lead and we will continue to push for England and Wales to do the same.

Lastly, there has been a little heralded but significant change in the law on suicide.  The way coroners decide on the cause of death has changed. We had for a long time been concerned about an under-reporting of the true scale of deaths by suicide because of the way coroners were giving verdicts of accidental deaths when some may well in fact have been suicide.

However, in a land mark high court ruling just last month, coronial law was changed so that now coroners can give a verdict of suicide ‘on the balance of probabilities’ instead of the previous higher evidence threshold of ‘beyond reasonable doubt’. Although this ruling is subject to an appeal, the law is a important step forward in the battle to see the true scale of the problem and marshal adequate resources to address it.

In previous blogs I have set out the evidence on the key societal steps needed to reduce suicide.  But there is something simple and radical we can all do to help reduce suicides. Our own research into stress showed that 32% of people had experienced suicidal thoughts at some point.  And as Horizon's brilliant film on suicide showed, the evidence is building that simply asking our friends and family if they have had suicidal thoughts over the past few weeks is the single most effective thing we can do. Despite fears that raising the subject of suicide could put ideas in people’s head, the evidence points to the reverse; it lowers the risk. For people experiencing isolation, knowing that someone cares enough to ask can be the difference between life and death. 

I have tried this. When I meet with friends, I have been asking them ‘Have you experienced suicidal thoughts’? It has opened up a deeper conversation and communicated that I really do care.  If people do tell me they are struggling, I try to follow our own advice to assure them that this is a common feeling and give hope that with time, things change. I am also ready to encourage them to seek expert help if they aren’t coping.

If asking about suicidal thoughts became a normal part of our cultural exchanges and practice (like putting on a seatbelt) I think hundreds if not thousands of lives would be saved.

You can be at the cultural cutting edge of suicide prevention by simply asking a compassionate question. Let’s make the difference together!

ENDS