The power of practice-led group exercise

In June 2022, at the age of 55, I joined Clarendon Lodge Medical Practice's Run Talk Run and have since attended the Monday night sessions 88 times. I especially value the group in winter, when I find it hard to motivate myself to get out and run alone - I tend to procrastinate unless I have others waiting for me. I was surprised (and delighted) to discover that you can actually run and talk at the same time; the conversation makes the exercise feel less like hard work because you’re not constantly thinking about each stride.

I was never a natural runner. In my twenties and thirties I was more involved in grassroots football refereeing than in distance running, and although I first tried running in 2013, it was an on-and-off hobby for many years. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 I restarted running more regularly, but knee injuries have occasionally forced me into lengthy breaks.

Being part of Run-Talk-Run has helped me sustain my running. Knowing there are people I’ve come to know who look forward to running and talking together is a huge incentive. My running peaked in 2023: I completed two local half marathons, both in under 2 hours 10 minutes, and I’ve run at least one 10K race every year for the past three years. I’ve also completed 130 parkruns to date - often meeting and chatting with past and present Run-Talk-Run members at these events - and my best parkrun time, which I achieved in 2023 at age 56, is 25 minutes 47 seconds, something I’m proud of.

I consider myself lucky to have good mental health, and I genuinely enjoy talking with fellow runners who rely on the CLMP group as a form of support and therapy. At the same time I’m improving my physical health simply by turning up on Monday nights, whatever the weather. Although I’m beginning to experience some age-related alignment issues, being able to run distances of at least 5km reassures me that these conditions aren’t reducing my fitness or preventing me from leading a full, active life. CLMP Run-Talk-Run has become a constant companion on my ongoing health and fitness journey.