Views from our Community Fundraising Officer – Andrew Tee
There comes a time in a man’s life when you think “I need to get fit before I get too old”! Well, that time is now. I know, I could not have picked a hotter time of year to start cycling into work and running in the evenings, but you have got to strike whilst the iron (and everything else) is blazing hot!
I, like lots of people, have had various dalliances with fitness over the years. I’m a classic example of the person who signs up for an event, gets fit, completes the event and then hangs up his running shoes for another season (or two!).
Well, this time it’s different. No, really it is, I promise. Having just started with the Child Brain Injury Trust 2 months ago as their Community Fundraiser for the South my job is all about motivating people to get involved with the charity, and taking on challenges to raise money.
I figured whilst I’m riding high on the wave of enthusiasm for this new role I might as well give myself some challenges too. So, not being one to do things by halves I have signed myself up for a muddy 10K assault course in October with a group of friends, and I have also said I’ll run the Rome marathon in March 2014 in support of the charity!
I’m a big believer in leading by example, even if it is leading from the back of the pack. Let’s get this straight, I’m no Mo Farah, but I’ll give it a good go. For me it really is like your mum used to tell you at sports day, “it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part”!
So, how’s it going so far you ask? Well, I got to my first training milestone last night by completing a 10K run. I left my house at 7.00pm, and by 7.03pm I was thinking “what am I doing?” it was far too hot to be running. But I toughed it out and completed 10k in 1 hour 10 minutes, not the fastest I have ever run by any means, but still respectable.
You see it’s not about how far you run, or how fast you run, it’s about getting out there and just running. Or cycling, swimming, walking, whatever is your thing. With busy lives it’s too easy to find an excuse not to go to the gym, not to get your running shoes on and go for a quick run. But as soon as you get out there and do it, you remember why it makes you feel so good.
I love running because it’s a great way to de-stress from a busy day. I don’t listen to music whilst I run, I don’t really think about anything whilst I run. I just plod along and clear my mind of everything apart from the road in front of me. And then when I get home I know I’m a little bit fitter and healthier than I was yesterday, and that is motivation enough to do it again tomorrow.
There are loads of motivational slogans about running, my favourite goes something like this “Don’t ask me why I run, ask yourself why you don’t”. If you feel motivated to get active and you’re looking for a challenge to work towards, or you’d like to talk about supporting the charity in a less strenuous way, please get in touch: andrewtee@cbituk.org
