Prime Runnings
As of Monday 23rd March, the UK government has decided to take similar measures to their European counterparts and enter a nationwide lockdown. This means under no circumstances should people be out and about, having a swift one down the local or asking their God for forgiveness at their place of worship. The only exceptions to the lockdown ruling are as follows:
- To buy essentials such as food and medicine.
- To attend work, only if absolutely necessary and work cannot be completed from home.
- For a medical need, or to provide assistance or care to a vulnerable person.
- For 1 form of exercise a day; be it running, walking, cycling.
Working from home or just being stuck there, especially on your own, is sure to drum up some frustration as cabin fever sets in (especially for us Purple’s ay Neil). That’s why we’re encouraging you all to get involved in ‘Prime Runnings’.
The premise is simple; go for a run.
Now we appreciate this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we do want everyone involved. So, to encourage participation in Prime Runnings all we want is to see you’ve utilised your outdoor hour (or so) by sending in a picture of your view during the time spent sampling that freshest of air. This could be a picture of you:
- On a run
- On a Walk
- Cycling
- Hopping
- Skipping
- Or just a screenshot of your tracked journey
It doesn’t matter! As long as it’s an activity where you’re covering some distance and being active, whilst enjoying what could be the short time we’re allowed outside, for a while anyway!
We think this is an important initiative to back. In the current climate, people are uncertain, anxious and being stuck in your bedroom day in day out means there’s little escape from the daunting reality. That’s why we believe it is imperative to encourage people to make the most of their opportunity to be active and release some endorphins in the window they have for being outside! (whilst of course observing the social distancing policy and with no more than 1 other person)
The physical benefits of exercise are apparent to most of us, from losing weight to increasing muscle mass and endurance. However, at a time like this, the mental health benefits of being active are paramount. From simple things such as improving your current mood, to in depth research studies evidencing how exercise can reduce the risk of major depression by 26%; it is something we should all get behind. Furthermore, Prime Runnings allows us to remain together and stay connected in this time of isolation.
Download any run tracking app such as RunKeeper or Strava, give one of the Prime team a shout and we’ll add you to the WhatsApp group – the only commitment required to be a part of our community is to aim for a run/walk EVERYDAY!
As mentioned, we just want everyone to remain mentally and physically healthy throughout this lockdown period. However, with a lack of sports to channel our competitive juices, this group can also be used as an avenue for exactly that! So, with that in mind, we will also be shouting out our members at the end of each week in relation to 3 categories:
- Most Distance covered over the week
- The Best Run/Quickest Time
- Most Improved Runner
So, whether you have the running prowess of Mo Farah or Mo Harris, whether you need a competitive driver or just a group to keep you connected and motivated, it doesn’t matter! We want everyone to get involved, to stay positive and stay safe out there.
We are also encouraging everyone to get behind the RUN FOR HEROES £5 for 5k initiative to support the amazing key workers who are keeping this country afloat during this time. If our group members would donate upon completion of their first 5k in the group, it would go a long way to supporting our brilliant NHS Charities
Thanks again and we look forward to seeing you active!
