The Joys Of Running With Colleagues
This month's guest post comes from Katherine Hainsworth, who works at the Royal College of Music in London and runs weekly with her colleagues through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. It's not about our own runs, but it makes a point we agree with: running is better with other people.
Finding a break in a busy work day for a run can be a great way to get those miles in whilst also enjoying a chat with colleagues.
I feel very privileged to work at the Royal College of Music (RCM), located in one of the most culturally rich parts of the capital. It is right beside the sprawling Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, perfect spaces for a weekly run with colleagues. Whether it's a five-kilometre loop taking in the Serpentine, or a run down to Buckingham Palace and back (often with a pre-run plank thrown in for good measure), passing some of London's iconic landmarks is a real treat.
At a conversational pace, our weekly run provides us with the opportunity to talk through challenges, support one another, and enjoy an invigorating break in a busy day. We chat all the way round. Towards the end, it's words of encouragement for a sprint finish.
Working with a wide range of musicians and navigating complex rehearsal schedules means energy and resilience are essential for my work and my colleagues'. Running helps us focus, boosts our confidence (being physically strong helps our mental resilience), and relieves stress. And for those who might suffer from anxiety and nerves, running trains us to handle pressure from whatever might come our way. It enables us to become comfortable with discomfort. For us, it provides a level of stamina for challenging and long musical performances.
The RCM's home is a large Victorian, red-brick building with long corridors, plenty of staircases and even some turrets. Here, our running experience becomes very useful, sprinting up and down, from venue to venue carrying musical instruments and equipment for various activities. After all this, we can still talk, all thanks to building up a good aerobic base. Most importantly, running with colleagues allows us to bond with one another and work better as a team. All these benefits don't just resonate with musicians, of course, but apply to many different jobs and working environments.
Each work run ends with a celebratory selfie with the awesome Royal Albert Hall or the sparkling Albert Memorial as a backdrop, capturing it in our memories and Strava profiles! We return to work ready to face the rest of the day with a positive outlook. Like many runners, we do enjoy a bit of showing off afterwards, strutting through the beautiful RCM atrium in our colourful kit! But really, we are just expressing our post-run happiness. Because what really matters is this: anyone can do it. For our club and many others (including the Striders), you don't need a particular level of fitness, no one is left behind, and everyone is welcome.
If you're reading this and not yet part of the Sutton Striders, the point of this article is the huge rewards of running with other people, whether they are colleagues, friends, family members or fellow club runners. Whether you're situated in an office, working from home, or have responsibilities taking care of family, come rain or shine, take time out for a run alongside others: time to talk, time to take in your surroundings … and reap the benefits.
