12 Runs, 12 Months – Reaching the Halfway Mark

Andrew writes why he chose to fundraise for Student Minds and take on 12 Runs in 12 Months as he reaches his half way mark. 

- Andrew Mobey

Wimbledon 30/7/2017

Having completed my 1st ever half marathon in June, I felt a bit more optimistic about the July half marathon in the beautiful Wimbledon Common. It was also flat, which meant most runners were expecting a quick time. For me, it was just about finishing and hopefully beating my last time. However, I came into trouble with the ‘Morbey Hamstring’ as my mother puts it. One thing you can never prepare for is whether or not your body will be able to handle the strain of running 13.1 miles. But I did finish, even managing to beat my previous time, but going forward I would have to look after my body, both physically and mentally.  

Severn Bridge 27/8/2017

This half marathon will forever hold a special place in my heart. I had decided that I would start creating vlogs after my races to capture my true emotions and talk honestly about my mental health. An incident occurred 2 weeks before in London, which lead to me having to cancel another fundraiser I had planned. Without going into too much detail, I had fallen back into my old habits, you can see the vlog here: 

But that is another story though. The race took place on the border of Wales and England, with the starting line in the middle of the Severn Bridge. As well as fighting through another gruelling 13.1 miles of hills, beautiful Welsh/English countryside and crying a few times along the way, I’d managed to complete the run, again beating my previous best time. Throughout the race, I found my head was the main thing holding me back, continuously doubting my abilities and mental strength to finish the race. I began realising that these sorts of doubts are the same that I deal with on a daily basis and by completing these races, I can overcome these doubts!

Pembrokeshire 24/9/2017

Taking place on the West Coast of Wales, with views overlooking the Milford Haven, and the Pembrokeshire hilly countryside, it was a very special and beautiful run. Being in such an isolated part of the world, with roads only large enough for one car at a time and the feeling of being on the edge of the world, there were only a hundred or so competitors. The route was amazing, running to the tip of St Annes Head up to Marloes Sands. During the run, it gave me time to reflect on my life, how my mental health is and where I want to be in a few years. Using fundraisers like 12 Runs, 12 Months, it allows me to exercise my health and fight the many doubts I may have that not only occur during the runs, but also in my professional, working life. It was the perfect run to celebrate the halfway point of this fundraiser.

As the UK university year is just starting to kick off, where most freshers leave their home and move to a new city, it’s important to keep your mind active and exercise your mental health. Finding new challenges may bring on a lot of anxieties and doubts about yourself, but you might just start finding yourself having fun, just as I have re-found my old love for running. Donate to Andrew's challenge and find out more here.

I am a twenty-five-year-old Aussie bloke, afer buying my one-way ticket and making the big move, I came into contact with Student Minds and applied for their Fundraising Champions initiative earlier this year, and when I was elected, my head filled up with ideas on how I can help break down this mental health stigma. I wanted to start by sharing my story with Student Minds and the extended mental health community.