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Meet this week’s Teacher Feature…

Heidi’s Story…

When I was young, following a difficult and dark time in my life, I discovered running. Nobody really spoke about Mental Health much back then but I knew I needed to do something to make myself feel better both mentally and physically. I went for a run. It lasted 10 minutes and despite the torture of both my lungs and my limbs, the positive impact on my mood and my outlook was instant. I knew there was no going back. Here began a lifelong love affair with running.

Years later, running has become such a huge part of who I am. Running has become my emotional self-regulation, my go-to when I am happy, sad, anxious, upset, energised or tired. As a full time secondary school teacher and mum of three, running is also my headspace, my calm, my thinking time, my quiet, my sanctuary. Distance running is the hobby I feel most passionately about, a constant in my life, it has taught me so much, and also introduced me to other hobbies such as an appreciation of nature and experimenting with photography. Distance running is something I have worked hard to conquer, bringing with it a sense of personal success by achieving my own running goals.

Recently, following a challenging year in teaching, I set up a staff-running group. Running has done so much for me over the years; I wanted to encourage others, of all abilities, to run, to promote well-being and a sense of togetherness. We run every Friday after school, a great way to end the week and start the weekend while enjoying some of the stunning views around where we live. I enjoy seeing others develop a love of running, achieving their own personal goals and seeing how much of a positive impact in can have on mental health.

This year I am taking part in a distance challenge each month for 12 months. In memory of a friend who passed away in 2018 from Cancer, I am fundraising for Cancer Research and Alzheimer’s. So far I have completed two marathons, the 4x4x48 challenge and a 34-mile run, my longest ever distance. I will soon be taking part in my first official ultra-marathon and later this year running the London Marathon for the first time. I am challenging my own physical and mental limits with the sole aim of raising as much money as possible for these two amazing charities.

Follow the link bellow to support Heidi’s fundraising challenge!!!