Next week marks Scottish Women and Girls in Sport week.
The theme this year is 'Celebrating Inclusion for Women & Girls in Sport & Physical Activity.
Scottish Women and Girls in Sport Week, first established in September 2017, aims to raise awareness of the benefits for women and girls of sport and physical activity on their physical and mental health.
Did you know that over half the membership of LAC is female. Amongst the senior members the split is exactly 50:50, whilst among the junior and youth sections the number of girls exceeds the number of boys.
Karen after a massive PB at the Great Scottish Run
New member Karen Hunter recently moved to the area and tells how she found the support and camaraderie of running invaluable when she faced health issues.
Karen said “Like many women, my running had been sporadic with gaps due to workload, family, and illness. Finally in 2019, I completed my first half marathon aged 51, shortly followed by a second one. Then in July 2021 age 53, I was diagnosed with a chronic health condition and in February 2022, I was told my condition was secondary to a brain tumour.
I struggled on for a year with the side effects from drugs, regular blood tests, a heart condition (SVT) and a demanding job, until I just couldn’t cope anymore and in January 2023 aged 55 I had to resign from work. I have been through a roller-coaster of emotions, but I can hand on heart say that without running, the support of clubmates I could not have coped.
I have come to the realisation that running is an aspect of my life that I am currently in control of, and it is a massive enabler to maintain a positive outlook on life. In July, I underwent a surgical treatment for my SVT and since a change in my drugs, I am experiencing less side effects and now feeling much stronger. At some point in the future, I will undergo surgery to remove the brain tumour.”
Karen is a regular participant at Wednesday social runs and Thursday interval sessions and enjoys the camaraderie of a parkrun most Saturdays. She also loves racing and recently took over four and a half minutes off her PB at the Stirling 10k and has other 10k races and the Glasgow Half marathon in the pipeline. This year, with encouragement from teammates she has entered the East District Cross Country relays and will hopefully do more cross country over the winter.
Karen’s story illustrates how running can help with both the physical and mental effects of illness and also how supportive and encouraging being part of a club can be. For details of all LAC and LGL (Lets Go Linlithgow) sessions check out Club Training — Linlithgow Athletic Club (linlithgowathletics.org)
(many thanks to Karen, and our welfare officer Jill, for putting this article together)
