I’m immensely proud of J’s determination and application to keeping up her regular running routine. I don’t run, I walk, so J always runs on her own. While this is usually not a problem in the spring and summer months, at this time of the year it can be more difficult. One night last week, she changed her regular route and was out running slightly longer than usual. I was worried. Although we have phone trackers, dependent on the strength of signal, these are not always fully functional or accurate. Consequently, knowing where one of us happens to be at any particular time can sometimes be difficult, and also frustrating.
Like most towns, our local pavements are poorly maintained and it’s easy to trip up even in the daylight. In the dark it can become even more hazardous. Way back in 2018, the AA using Freedom of Information requests, found that uneven pavements were more prevalent in the North West of England (77%). This is where we live. Some 64% of respondents reported pavements being encroached by overgrown trees and hedges. Uneven pavements and pavement hazards all contribute to the risk of a fall. Whilst falls can happen to anyone, older folk are more likely to fall, as are those with a physical impairment. Runners also fall (sorry) into this category, as they tend to be moving at speed.
I worry, not just about J having an accident, but about her running alone at night or in the early morning. The recent report published by This Girl Can noted that 72% of women change their outdoor activity during the dark winter months. They do this because of the threat of abuse, intimidation and assault. The University of Manchester published a study earlier in the year that found 68% of women had experienced abuse while running. Sadly, very few of such incidents get reported to the Police.
Running in groups can help of course. However, J likes to run on her own, to enjoy her music, clear her mind and of course to reap the rewards of regular exercise. Following last week’s fright and in reducing the risk and staying safe, J has changed her route. It is now a well-lit and public route. She shouldn’t have to do this. For my part, given that I’m not going to start running with her, (she will always be faster than me) we have agreed that I should be more aware of timings and routes. To this end, we touch base before she goes out and J tells me her route and her expected time back. Again, this doesn’t feel like it’s something we should have to do either.
It is sad that there are so many people out there who feel it is okay to intimidate folk in this way. Ironic too. The last government’s ‘Gear Change’ strategy, published as we were coming out of the Covid pandemic, had a bold ambition to ensure that by 2030, half of all journeys in UK towns and cities would be undertaken by walking or cycling*. Both activities, done regularly, can help reduce the risk of more than 20 chronic health conditions being experienced. Inactivity is said to be responsible for one in six deaths (equal to smoking) each year in the UK. According to the World Health Organisation, 1.4 billion people globally don’t do enough physical activity.
Where we live, just outside Blackpool, the Active Lives Adults Survey carried out in 2023 showed that only 59% of adults in Blackpool regularly achieve the recommended amount of physical activity per week (150 minutes of moderate exercise). The national figure is 67%. At any time of the year, keeping active is a good thing. It is more important during the winter, when short days and often inclement weather can mean we spend more days indoors and therefore less active. Like many others, I love being outdoors, and we are fortunate to live by the sea. We have just a 10 minute walk to the beach. I walk every day – and this can mount up, usually around 40 – 50 miles a week. So far this year I have walked 2,107 miles.
Of course, you don’t have to walk that many miles a week to feel the benefit. There are many other ways of keeping physically active and improving your mental health and wellbeing in so doing. One of the places I like to walk to is the coastal town of Cleveleys, some 5km away. It makes for a lovely circular walk and has the bonus of a superb microbrewery on its main street. Cleveleys sits in Wyre Borough and they have a brilliant evidence-based ‘Wyre Moving More’ strategy which successfully makes the connections between physical activity, sport, active leisure and health and wellbeing. Importantly, it does so across all points of the life span. To deliver some the strategy’s ambitions will need additional funding. But more will be achieved through motivating folk to find the physical activity that best suits them. I can’t run, but I can walk. I intend to keep doing so until I can’t. When I can’t, I will take up chair yoga.
* I work in Greater Manchester, and our Mayor, Andy Burnham, has long been a fantastic supporter of Greater Manchester Moving. I remember one meeting where Andy ‘gave permission’ for all his colleagues to wear trainers to work on the basis that folk actually used them for walking and keeping active.
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