My self-prescription for alleviating the Winter blues is to go for a run with friends – in my case the friends are Togher’s Fit4Life group who take the idea of running as therapy very seriously. We put the world to rights each Sunday morning as we jog around Blackrock Castle and along the railway line, before rewarding ourselves with a hot chocolate in Blackrock Market. A simple chat becomes therapeutic and I know that, no matter how lazy or grumpy I am feeling as I drag myself out of bed, just putting one foot in front of the other in the company of others for a few miles will improve my mood and vanquish stress.
Running is a proven remedy for anxiety and stress but many of us imagine that running clubs are only for those intimidating creatures who look like their feet are on springs as they effortlessly pass at high speed. My running speed plateaued a while back, but I was lucky enough to find a group who take the social aspect of running more seriously that PBs. I won’t break any speed records anytime soon but I think of each run as a free 30-minute therapy and exercise session in the fresh air.
The Fit4Life group is an part of Togher AC, a community club that caters for all levels, ages and ability and a club that also recognises the importance of running for mental health. The annual Togher AC 5km run is organised in partnership with Cork Mental Health Foundation and last week the club presented a cheque to Cork Mental Health Association for €6,051.75, representing half the proceeds of the Togher AC 5k road race in December. it was announced that the road race was voted the best 5km road race in Cork for the third year in a row. This is a particular source of pride as the race is an important fundraiser and awareness raiser around mental health issues.
Brendan McCarthy of the Cork Mental Health Association offered ‘a huge thank you to all the members of Togher AC for such an amazing donation’. He added that, ‘it has become one of our biggest fundraisers every year and makes a huge contribution to the work we do. The 5K is a great opportunity for us to raise awareness of mental health issues and that there is help there for people if they need it.’
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