Running with Epilepsy

It stands to reason that, in a blog called ‘Running with Epilepsy,’ at some stage, I would need to write about the very first time that I ever ran with epilepsy. I’ve found this very difficult to start as I can’t really remember how I felt on my first run. Also, it was more than 5 years and 11,000 miles ago -a lot has happened since then! I know that the start of my running career is a very unique story, different to most runners because of the epilepsy and probably different to others with epilepsy because of the eighteen months before I even considered running; more about that later though. I’ve tried my best to find the actual date that I started but it’s evading me; it was at some point in June 2014 and it was instigated by trying to getting back into weight training, which was causing more problems with my epilepsy.  

Prior to the car crash in 2009 (you can read about this in my first post, The Beginning), I would say I was reasonably fit: less cardio-vascular fit as I am now but I was more into strength and conditioning fitness. As I had previously planned on being in the police force, I probably thought that was important. In 2014, I’d decided to rekindle the fun of strength training, however my family realised – more quickly than I did – that the training that I did in my youth wasn’t working well with my health conditions. Knowing a lot more about strength and conditioning training now, I believe that it wasn’t the training itself that was the problem; it was more how I was doing it. When I had trained before, I wasn’t correctly engaging my core; I was using chest cavity pressure to lift, meaning that I wasn’t able to take a proper breath. This style of lifting can be used safely, for example when completing single lifts, but when used repetitively, it can cause a rise in blood pressure – definitely not great for those with Epilepsy.

I soon started looking for a safe way of training to increase my fitness without hampering my health and I found that some people in my position had tried running and reported that it hadn’t aggravated their Epilepsy – great news! I had some experience running: school cross country in primary and secondary school – with little success! I can remember running at interschool cross countries in secondary school and finishing in last place. At later stages at school, I had more success at sprint races but by that stage I was more academically minded. These memories from running at school were happy ones but they were still memories of my physical inadequacy, and I later managed to banish these by finding another physical outlet in strength and conditioning fitness. I’d need to conquer that fear of being the slowest if I was to be able to enjoy keeping fit in a way that worked with my epilepsy.

When I finally decided to try running, it had to be under my terms. By 2014, I had found some level of independence and wasn’t happy to give that up so I insisted that I was going to do it I would run from home without relying on transport or lifts from family and friends. At the time, however, home was part way up a substantial hill and my first run was either starting or finishing with a hill; I went for the starting with a hill (more about my enduring love of hills later!). Running a 1-kilometre hill with a 100 metre climb probably isn’t the place for most people to start running, but that’s exactly what I started with. I wanted a place I knew well and probably an excuse for why it went so badly (assuming that it would). I made a 4-kilometre route from my front door, I told my family where I was going, and I went with my phone, partly to track my run but more for the security of ringing somebody if the worst was to happen. In the interests of being totally honest, I also deliberately chose a route which was somewhat ‘out of the way,’ fearing that I might need to stop and walk, and not wanting to feel embarrassed if I did. Thankfully my first run went very well; I didn’t need the excuse of the hill and I only needed my phone to track my run (much to the relief of my family, who had anxiously waited at home). I even really enjoyed the challenge the hill gave me, and I continued to run the same route and a few other routes that I created, all from my front door, but none as long as that first run – it was long enough for now!

Just a few weeks later, on Saturday 28^th June 2014, I was about to make an exciting discovery, and one which would change my life!  I had gone for an early morning walk with my mum and our dog Bruce at Towneley Park and as we were walking, we saw there were markers and direction signs around the route. I knew that there was a charity Race for Life event on the following day, as my mum and her friend had entered, and I remember stating ‘they must be setting up for your run tomorrow’ – how little I knew! I later found out that the set up wasn’t for the Race for Life event at all; my mum’s friend told her that it was the set up for Burnley’s weekly Parkrun: a timed 5K run that happens every Saturday morning at 9am. My mum quickly encouraged me to take part the next weekend, stating that she’d walk with Bruce around other parts of the park while I ran. I wasn’t keen on the idea of running and competing with others, at first, but I gave it a go and typically, my mum knew best. Parkrun events are proudly non-competitive, and I found myself feeling completely welcome. I even faired a lot better than I expected, so much so that I returned the weekend after, and it soon became a regular occurrence.

The regular Parkruns really helped me with confidence and because the parkrun is timed, I was able to see how well I was progressing, which gave me the confidence to enter to my first race. It wasn’t until February 2015, but it was 10k so I needed a bit of time to work up to the distance too! After a few months, I was approached by Steve, who runs with Clayton-le-Moors Harriers, who invited me to a training session with the club. I must say, it took me a few more weeks to pluck up the courage to try – and Steve did prompt me once or twice, even helpfully suggesting that I could call the coach John Roche to let him know that I would be coming along.  I found that useful, and I was able to have a conversation about my health conditions, which made me more comfortable about attending. I’d soon learn that John Roche isn’t famed for keeping runners in their comfort zone, and the next few months were when my running really stepped up.

This is where I usually leave this story, stating that ‘the rest is history…’ but this story wouldn’t be complete without a very special mention…

In September 2012, a few years before I started running, our family welcomed its newest member… Bruce, an English Springer Spaniel. I took on the role to train and teach Bruce how to behave and a few simple tricks, and in turn Bruce helped me gain back some of my self-confidence and I gradually became a bit more outgoing. Before Bruce, my mum and I had started getting into walking, hiking up Pendle hill bi-monthly and tackling more challenging walks when we could. Bruce’s arrival meant that these walks became daily long walks, and although I wouldn’t know it at the time, the eighteen months that followed were exactly what I needed to give me the confidence to run on my own. At first, Bruce and I walked to our local parks and longer walks when we had company. As time progressed, however, we were both ready to tackle longer and more challenging walks and even when we didn’t have the security of another person to walk with, I was able to set up my phone as beacon. If I didn’t get home as I was expected, I could be easily located and, having seen how well Bruce had behaved when I had seizures, I felt comfortable to stray a little further from home. In the next eighteen months, we became the best of walking partners, and we covered some real distance, managing to walk up to 6 miles from home on some pretty remote paths. Were it not for the arrival of Bruce, I might never have had the confidence to take up running as I did and it is impossible to imagine what the past 10 years might have been like without him. Before I am accused of dumping my walking partner, I also want to add that he quickly became my running partner, especially when it came to exploring the many beautiful and scenic local trails! Thank you, Bruce!

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