It’s getting late.
You know you should go for that run.
But you’re tired.
Tomorrow feels like a better option.
Tomorrow becomes next week.
Next week becomes next term.
And before you know it, months have passed.
I know this pattern because I lived it for years.
I kept telling myself that I would start running properly again when work became a little quieter.
There was just one problem.
Work never became quieter.
There is always something else
Working in education can be enormously rewarding.
It can also expand to fill almost every bit of space we give it.
There is always another lesson to improve. Another email to answer. Another meeting to prepare for. Another problem to solve. Another new priority that suddenly feels urgent.
And somewhere amongst all of that, looking after ourselves can quietly slip down the list.
Not because we don’t think it matters.
Because we tell ourselves we’ll get to it later.
When things calm down.
But what if they don’t?
I stopped trying to find time
For a long time, I thought I needed to find time to run.
Eventually, I realised I had it the wrong way around.
I needed to make time.
That didn’t mean suddenly finding an hour every day or following the perfect training programme.
Sometimes it meant twenty minutes.
Sometimes a slow run.
Sometimes simply getting outside for a walk.
The important thing was starting.
And gradually, something changed.
Running stopped feeling like another thing competing for my time.
It became something that helped me deal with everything else demanding it.
More than exercise
Some of my best thinking now happens while I’m running.
Away from my desk.
Away from emails.
Away from meetings.
Running gives me space to process difficult conversations, think through problems and put things back into perspective.
Sometimes I come home with an answer.
Sometimes I just come home feeling better.
It also reconnects me with something that’s incredibly easy to lose during a busy working week: the world beyond work.
A sunrise before the working day begins.
Trails and footpaths I’ve never explored before.
Watching the seasons change.
Listening to birds instead of notification sounds.
For me, running isn’t about escaping education.
It’s about returning to it with greater clarity, perspective and energy.
Small choices become habits
Perhaps the biggest lesson running has taught me has nothing to do with pace or distance.
It’s about consistency.
We often imagine that changing our lives requires a dramatic transformation: a new training plan, a gym membership, a race entered, a complete overhaul of our routine.
Usually, it starts much smaller.
One walk.
One run.
Twenty minutes protected in the diary.
One morning when we choose to move before opening the inbox.
Those decisions don’t feel particularly significant at the time.
But repeat them often enough and something begins to change.
Movement becomes less of something you should do and more of something you simply do.
That’s how habits are built.
You don’t need to become a runner
This matters to STRIDE because I don’t want this community to be about creating faster runners.
You don’t need to run a marathon.
You don’t need a certain pace on Strava.
In fact, you don’t even need to run.
Walk around the block.
Start Couch to 5K.
Run-walk your first parkrun.
Train for a marathon.
It all counts.
There is good evidence behind the principle too. Regular physical activity is associated with benefits for both physical and mental wellbeing, while spending time being active outdoors can offer additional benefits.
But perhaps the most important thing is much simpler:
something is better than nothing.
And something can become a habit.
Maybe things don’t need to calm down first
September becomes October.
October becomes Christmas.
Christmas becomes another term.
There will always be another deadline, another email and another reason why today isn’t quite the right day.
So perhaps the answer isn’t waiting for life to create some space for us.
Perhaps we have to protect a little of it ourselves.
You don’t need to run 10 kilometres.
You don’t need to beat anybody.
You don’t need the perfect plan.
You simply need to begin.
Because sometimes the hardest stride really is the first.
Take your next stride
Whether it’s a walk around the block, your first run in years or training for your next race, there’s a place for you in STRIDE.
Join the STRIDE community and help education move.
Stay connected with STRIDE.
Stories, ideas, challenges and inspiration to help you keep moving.
Join the STRIDE mailing list for occasional updates from the community — straight to your inbox.
Stride 