Staff Spotlight – running

There are many ways to take part in running activities and groups and it’s one of the simplest exercises to engage in. Rose Brooke tells us how The University of Manchester’s running culture helped her return to running by fitting it back into her working days on campus.

I knew why I was cranky and feeling uncomfortable in my skin and I had been sitting on the solution out of anxiety for too long. There was just no time to exercise, I convinced myself. But a part of me was feeling more and more lost and I knew I had to re-learn some good routines from my pre-baby days, namely going running on my lunch break.

 I have never appreciated The University of Manchester making it so easy for me to factor running into my working day than after having a baby. Perhaps the only real barrier to ease me back into running was my own head.

The minute I get home at night, it’s shoes off, coat off, straight into ‘mum mode’ until my very demanding toddler is asleep, and then it’s tea, maybe half an hour of telly and I’m climbing the stairs to bed. I work compressed hours to spend a precious extra half day a week with my son, but the rest of the week my workday is long, with early starts and late finishes. There is no space either side to factor in a workout without seriously impacting how much sleep I would get or spending more time away from my family.

The best time for me to factor in exercise in the week is at lunchtime. Half an hour to run, 15 minutes to cool down and freshen up, 15 minutes to gobble my sandwich, and then I’m refreshed and full of good energy ready to tackle an afternoon at my desk. This was the norm before I had a baby. I would bring my trainers to work and at least once a week I would happily zip or plod around campus.

I was excited to return to work after maternity leave because I knew I would finally get that little piece of myself back when I could run regularly on my lunch breaks again.

Not all workplaces make it so easy for staff to factor running into their day, of course.

The University looks after its commuter cyclists, with showers and lockers dotted around campus, therefore there is in-built provision for runners to find time before work or on lunch to get in a mile, or two, or three, and comfortably resume work afterwards. There is plenty of well-lit, pedestrianised space to map a safe and pleasant route for yourself without busy crossings too. Finally, the culture supports being active. Managers regularly drill into their staff that you must take a full lunch hour away from your desk, for the platter of reasons we all know so well. I can categorically say that not all workplaces have this culture, or even basic facilities like showers that I know for me would be a barrier to bringing running into my workday.

The celebratory running culture at Manchester is huge. I will never forget the bizarre moment I overtook a beaming, waving Lemn Sissay running with the Purple Wave at the Great Manchester Run 10K in 2019. The boost it gave me as I grinned back at him was a by-product of the connectedness that running with a group gives you, that running with friends gives you.

The University of Manchester proudly boasts its Purple Wave, the purple-jerseyed battalion that leads the Great Manchester Run, the city’s most famous community sporting event. The flagship Purple Wave crashes down Portland Street as one and then peppers the entire race with ‘UoM purple’ as runners of all ages and abilities join in the excitement of the day. That love of running as a group is not just reserved for the Great Manchester Run, however, with the entire organisation celebrating running with the welcoming and dedicated UoM Run runners organising group runs for all abilities throughout the week for staff and students.

So, the only thing that was stopping me from returning to running after returning to work was myself, but would I even have been able to consider it without the culture, the showers, the support, and the space? Perhaps not.

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