Thursday 21 May 2020

Thank you

I was a little late in going for a short quick run today so I found myself running through Nedderton Village at 8pm. For five minutes prior to reaching the outskirts of the village, I could hear a piano. Just as I reached the village, “I Have A Dream” was being played. I really wasn’t prepared for just how emotional that was combined with the residents and myself clapping for carers. I laughed when one lady joked “This is all for you”. 

Like so many people right now, I’m very grateful for all of the NHS staff, carers, teachers and key workers. I’m no stranger to gratitude of course. Being grateful for things is how I was brought up. It was ingrained in me from as long as I’m able to remember. 

Run Geordie Run only exists because of gratitude. Specifically, to repay the debt of gratitude to St. Benedict’s Hospice is the primary purpose of what I do. 

On Saturday it will 10 years since I broke my ankle and relied on the NHS to fix it. They did a tremendous job and, of course, I was able to run 3100 miles across the USA 11 months later. I will always be grateful for that. 


As I passed back through Nedderton Village tonight, the lady playing the piano was packing up. I thanked her for playing and shouted “Same time next week?”. I was very pleased when she said “Yes”. I know what I’ll be doing next week at 8pm. 

With all of the emotions and thoughts going through my mind about the hard, difficult and dangerous work being selflessly carried out by so many people I started to run out of Nedderton with real purpose. So much so that, for the first time in 18 months, I ran a sub 10 minute mile! That last mile felt like a pure sprint and I punched the air when I saw 09:57 on my watch. It’s another milestone on my long journey back to fitness. Sub 10 minute miles now need to become the norm. Continued healthy eating and weight loss are key to this which is a challenge that I've relished over the last 7 months. 

Everything is heading in the right direction. There’s plenty to be happy about and to be very grateful for. As another Thursday passes, I’m feeling as grateful as ever to the staff in the NHS and all of the different types of key workers keeping the country ticking over. THANK YOU!