How long have you been a member of Queen’s Park Harriers? I joined in late January this year. I had been living in the US for the past two years and just relocated back to Queen's Park and wanted a running club to join. I had come a few years earlier for a couple of sessions, but my life had go so busy the running fell away!
What's the best thing about running? So many things! I love the community that comes with running - the shared goals, the encouragement of one another and also getting joy from not only your own achievements but what everyone else is setting their sights on. It is also a brilliant way to meet people which is how I started when I was living in Boston between 2017-19. I didn’t know anyone there and the weather was just so stunning even in the winter with freezing temperatures and sparking blue skies, that it felt criminal to not be outside running along the Charles River. A few months into running alone, I entered a 10k race in Boston and then met a bunch of running folk, joined running clubs and suddenly Boston felt like a home because of the community I had developed there through a shared love of being outdoors!
What's your favourite running event? I am not sure I have one as yet. I have only been running regularly for the past couple of years. At school, I loved 100m and 200m. I still think track is amongst my favourite things to do — just love running the bend. In terms of distance I like the 10k and half distance and am trying to teach myself to enjoy the marathon! I am doing my second one this November.
What else do you do? By day (night and weekend!), I am doctor. I work in obstetrics and gynaecology so essentially look after women through pregnancy and childbirth and also women’s health issues form childhood to old age which includes everything from periods to menopause to cancer. It is a really fulfilling job but also super hard work, so running is a great release to not only focus on me but also to be able to shake some of the day off as thought most of my working day is joyful, sometimes it can be very sad. I also cycle and like a bit of yoga on occasion.
Tell us something surprising about yourself that other members may not know. I took a year off in my mid 20s and went on a years travel across SE Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In NZ, I jumped out of a plane and also did a bungee jump… not sure I would do those again but at the time, it sort of seemed to make sense!