It’s so easy to think “I can’t take another step” when you’re exhausted and everyone around you looks like they’re barely breathing heavily. That is until you look around to see a man with a fridge strapped to his back about to overtake you, or you see Mo Farah on the big screen finishing the race as you are just crossing over into Newcastle.
Our struggles are very real, but sometimes we need to be reminded of just how hard other people’s challenges are in order to put our own into perspective.
The GNR and events like it remind us that we all face our own internal battles and often see our own obstacles as impossible to overcome, but when we look at the community around us we see that, if someone dressed in a full Pudsey costume can keep going, we can take that next step. We con ourselves when running, offering ourselves reasons to quit at every incline or rainy training day; events like the GNR are necessary to make us all a little more appreciative of just how conquerable our struggles can be.
But it is not just the runners who will be struggling. No matter how hard the run might feel, the people who you are running for are facing tougher challenges; no matter how arduous training is, we are still the lucky ones. The next step, whether first or last, always feels like the hardest one to take but it is simply one more step. So whether your next step is signing up to run, or going out to train in horrible weather, or even running the race itself, don’t give up. Take it. Do it. Keep going.
Let’s quickly establish why you should do the Great North Run 2022.
- Your Health: You know as well as I do that running, though cruel, is a great way to stay fit. No sign-up, no membership fees, just good clean serotonin and endorphins. Your body will thank you.
- #NewYearNewMe! You’ve wanted to quit smoking for ages. You tried dry January (for 3 days) but haven’t shifted your holiday weight yet. You’re tired of seeing Joe Wicks’ topless physique on every breakfast show and then eating an entire microwave lasagna for lunch. We get it. Commit to something new – we’ll be your training buddy 🙂
- The earlier you start the easier it will be: You have 6 months until the GNR (at the time of me writing this). It takes, apparently, a minimum of 3 months to effectively train from scratch for a half marathon. Do you want to get talked into it now or later?
- Do hard things: We all get a little too comfortable sometimes. Life gets you into a routine or rut. Switch things up. Be the change. Stop thinking about doing it and do it.
- Have you seen the rest of our website? We provide a unique, highly specific and vital service to the neediest people in our community. Take a look at our ‘About us’ section or read some ‘Case Studies’ to see exactly the impact you could have by choosing to run for us.
Whether it’s the first step or the last, don’t worry. It might feel impossible, it might take a while longer than you thought, but you can take it. Do it. Because you can.