My family aren't a scheduling task!

People often say to me, ‘Don’t you find running boring?’. Hmm, no, I don’t, as it happens. I have plenty to think about to keep me interested as I tootle along - my pace, running goals, getting my legs to shut-up, mulling over what’s going on at home, work, sometimes being grumpy and returning home a nicer person!

‘It’s me that I challenge’

Running can be hard, part of me thinks it should be - no pain, no gain?! Getting out on a cold, rainy day or sticking with with a full-on knackering session takes character. But one of the reasons I love running is that it gives me positive feedback. I train, I plan, I race and, over time, I improve - that’s how it works for me. I don’t compare myself to or with anyone else. It’s only me that I challenge. I see running as a journey with lots of stop-offs en route (Zen and the art of running maintenance, anyone?!*).

‘My family aren’t a scheduling task!’

I’m a father of five with all that goes along with that (taxi driver, quality time?!) and will be a grandad in June for the first time, yikes! But I don’t just want to fit it all in, my family aren’t a scheduling task! I try to be a good dad. For me, that means time spent together where the focus is not on anything else, not thinking about other things or staring at your phone. I try to be a good husband, a good worker, and a good runner and cyclist. I run with my local Good Gym when I can. I’m vegan and I love my football and music. I guess I never stop! It’s perfectly possible to be average at all of these things or, alternatively, put so much pressure on yourself to achieve that you enjoy none of them. We can't be a super hero but I hope I can be a positive role model for my kids and those around me, as a person and as a man. In this world of toxic masculinity, it's more important than ever for adult men to be positive. But finding the work (running) life balance that’s right for each of us isn’t easy. In fact, it can feel downright impossible sometimes. It's certainly tiring!