I’d been wondering why everyone was taking so long. As the crowd moved, the full length of St Vincent Street appeared ahead, from the tickertape starting line to, at its far end, a startlingly abrupt 30 degree slope — the kind of horrific steepness that, as a kid, your Mum would tell you off for biking down without your brakes on. My impatience vanished, leaving a single thought: “how the hell am I getting through this?”
So, of course, I’m doing it again on Sunday 2nd October, tackling the Great Scottish Run to raise funds for SAMH (the Scottish Association for Mental Health).
The theme of this run is Sabotage. It’s been a tough year. My health hasn’t been great — I’ve lost three months of training to injury — a broken toe and a twisted ankle. Life issues have proved difficult to deal with, and that’s impacted on my well-being and my creativity. At times, it’s been overwhelming. Whether physical or mental — Beastie Boys or Cancer Bats — Sabotage has dogged my every step this year.
But I’m still here. More than that — I’m in Glasgow, living amongst good friends, studying a fascinating course in Fantasy, and beginning to find my own way in the world.
So what better way to celebrate that than running 13 miles through one of the hilliest cities in the country — and raising money for charity to boot?
So why SAMH? SAMH support those living in Scotland with mental health issues, as well as their families and carers. There are community-based programmes for everything from housing to addiction. They run the national anti-stigma campaign See Me, and the anti-bullying campaign Respect Me. They also provide employment support, as well as a host of information and advice. Whether you’re a student looking for a bit of extra support as you make this massive life change, or a carer looking after a someone with a mental health condition, this is the place to go.
If you’d like to help me support SAMH and their excellent work, please head to the link below to sponsor my run.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/RuthRuns-GSR2
Alternatively, if you can’t afford a donation, why not leave me a little encouragement on the Great Wall of Support?
http://greatscottishrun.com/wall-of-support/
Finally, if you want to watch, why not check out BBC2 Scotland‘s coverage on Sunday 2nd October from 11:00 – 13:45?
I’ll see you at the finish line!
