Emdad Rahman
SCHOOL NURSERY NURSE and senior teaching assistant Julie Arnold, 42, has been running for almost five years. She is passionate about her work in a school for children on the autistic spectrum and also children with complex medical needs.
Julie says running is a pastime she first discovered by chance. “I started to run as a pure accident really, as I had never taken part in any type of physical activity or exercise before – not even at school, as I hated it,” she said.
Julie’s employers had been granted a charity place for the London Marathon. After a couple of weeks of no one showing any interest, Julie took the plunge. “I chatted to people, saying I’d love to be able to do something like that one day,” she said. “My husband was one of those I said it to, and his reply was to say I’d never be able to do that.”
Julie dwelt on his comment for a few days and eventually asked for the place. She hasn’t looked back. “I just wanted to prove him wrong and decided to take on the challenge,” she said. “Nobody thought I’d achieve it, but I did. I shocked everyone – including myself – as I was always a quitter when things got tough.
“It took 8 months of training, starting as a complete novice. At first I couldn’t do much more than walk a mile. Then it was a second-hand treadmill in my dining room and soon moving onto road running and 5k!
“It wasn’t pretty. I’m no speed freak and some days are much harder than others. I still can’t believe how far I’ve come. I thought once I’d completed that Marathon that that would be it. I was so wrong! Within a few days of achieving my goal I had itchy feet. That turned into boredom and a feeling of having no purpose!”
Julie’s story is one of inspiration, and she has overcome many hurdles to get to where she is. “I have suffered with depression, anxiety and eating disorders on and off throughout my teenage and adult life,” she explained. “I suddenly realised that the running had taken all of that away and with no running it was all starting to come back.
“Running had really helped my mental health as much as it had helped me physically. I’d never had a hobby before and at the age of 39 I’d finally found one. It was from then on that I decided to continue to challenge myself and keep running, but try to do something good to help others as well as myself at the same time!
“Since then I have run 109 races and also raised money for different charities. I think in total I’ve raised around £12,000 in total for various causes.”
Julie is currently recovering from an injury sustained earlier this year while training to run both the Brighton and London marathons in seven days. She completed this challenge with a knee injury.
“Until I became injured I was running 6-13 miles, two to three times a week – by running to work in Plumstead from my home in Dartford and vice versa. I also ran at least two races a month. I currently see a personal trainer twice a week for legs, upper body, core and interval training and do circuit training once a week as well as a 5k run.”
Running for Mencap was a no-brainier for Julie. “My passion is working with children with disabilities, she said. “The vast majority of those I work with have some sort of learning disability. To see that there is such fantastic support available for a lot of these kids when they grow up through charities as Mencap is brilliant. To know that there are people there to help these adults lead as independent and fulfilled lives as possible is reassuring.
“I hope that there is a positive future out there for everyone. The commitment, support and services that Mencap offer are amazing. I love running and at the same time to have the opportunity to help such a fantastic cause is brilliant and quite satisfying.”
Julie’s personal best for a marathon is five hours, eleven minutes. For her the three main benefits to running are improved mental health, fitness and travel. Her longest distance is 26 miles, and she has completed four London Marathons and two Brighton Marathons along with The Great North Run twice, “Most of my races have been a combination of half marathons and obstacle course races,” she says.
To anyone thinking of taking up running Julie has two words: you can. “If I can do it, anyone can,” she says. “Just take your time and go at your own pace. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else. Set small achievable goals and you will get there. If you can walk then you can run. And it really is true, it does help with your mental health.”
•Now you can run for charity and join #TeamMencap on a 5km or 10km run in a royal park with panoramic views across London! The routes are suitable for all ages and fitness levels to run, jog or walk. If you have a disability, your supporter can run with you for free, and there are wheelchair places available too – as well as a family friendly 1km run for those with small children.
•To sign up, go to: www.mencap.org.uk/event/run-greenwich-park
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