Why I run – Tim Howard (Partner)

Being involved in sport can make you feel fitter, healthier, and mentally strong. We all know that. But really, that’s just the start of it. There are benefits that stretch far further than how I feel that mean I run almost every day – taking time out to keep moving, even when I’m at my busiest.

Sleep:

Exercise – for me that’s a weekly rugby training session, daily run, or Saturday morning parkrun (target is to gain my 250 runs T-shirt this year…), triggers chemicals in the brain that make you feel happier and relaxed. In playing rugby, I have a chance to unwind, get some fresh air, mix with people who work in entirely different arenas to me and enjoy the odd sociable half hour at the end. Climbing into bed with a clear head having stepped away from the laptop even for a short period of time means I sleep more deeply and with less disturbance, I wake up rested in the morning and am ready to go again.

Heart Strength & Lung Function:

A strong heart, improved with running, keeps fresh blood pumped around the body. This helps my system cope with extended periods sat at the desk or in meetings, helps with circulation and reduces the fatigue felt by many in the office environment – especially in the afternoon. Regular sport aids oxygen to be drawn into the body with waste gases expelled. Daily exercise gives the system a good flush. For me, I find that when I am hit by a cold, it’s less likely to linger if I have been keeping fit ahead of being infected!

Stress & Confidence:

When I make the time in the day to be physically active, I can unplug my mind from daily stresses and give issues some clear thought. Sometimes I listen to music or podcasts, but often, run with silence to work through an issue or a problem I am facing. Often the solution is right there, but muddied by the constant interruption of email, calls, important questions, and the needs of the team. The physical activity of running and raising the heart rate reduces stress hormones and stimulates the release of endorphins so there is some science that backs this up! When I am able to clearly consider an issue, and give it some defined time and headspace, I am more confident in delivering the outcome – even if it isn’t what someone wants to hear.

Leadership:

Although I enjoy being a team member not a leader on the rugby pitch, there are significant correlations between playing sport and strong leadership qualities. I always think it is really clear who hasn’t or has (or still does) engage in team sport in the working environment. There is much to learn about leadership, decision making, resilience, problem solving, vision and goal setting in the board room that can be transferred from the sports pitch. A podcast called The High Performance Podcast by Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes is always a good listen, providing insights and lived experiences of the planet’s high performing sports people and turning them into learnings for all.

Resilience:

Although we all know being knocked down is the best way to get stronger and go again, there is more to the resilience that sport gives me than this lesson. When I really, really can not be bothered to get up off the desk and pull on my runners, when it’s dark and cold and wet and miserable by 4pm, but I do it anyway, that’s when I get the very most out of the effort. I know I can overcome the little voice on my shoulder that says I can’t, that says, ’oh, it doesn’t matter if you miss training just this week…’ Well, it does matter. It will matter and if I ever let that voice win, I regret it for much longer than the amount of time that I would have been cold and wet.

One of the team members in the office mentions a speaker, Pete Cohen, she once heard, the co-author of the book ‘Shut the Duck Up!’ who’s talk was about learning to tell that little voice to shut up – by visualising it as a duck, with a name… based on a conversation with Eric Cantona as a part of his rehabilitation following the famous kicking-the-fan moment. it’s worth a read.

 This is the resilience that sport gives me. That’s the reason I run. The reason I play rugby. And why staying fit in the body is vital for the mental strength that allows me to perform in my job.

 Go dust off those trainers. It doesn’t matter what you do, just get up and go for it.