I wish somebody had sat me down two years ago and said, ‘do this and you will feel a million times better'
Russell Watkin was struggling with Long Covid, stressed out and overweight - then he started running
Running changes lives.
It changed Russell Watkin’s life.
Struggling with his weight, mentally and physically exhausted from working in intensive care throughout the pandemic, and suffering from Long Covid, Russell didn’t believe he could succeed at anything.
It will change the lives of families affected by the tragic loss of a baby.
That’s because a rejuvenated Russell is now preparing to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April next year in aid of Tommy’s, a charity based at St Thomas’s Hospital in London which works to stop the heartbreak and devastation of baby loss.
Russell had initially been inspired to run watching the progress of his wife, Jo, as she completed Couch to 5k and grew to love running.
At the time he was “probably the heaviest I've ever weighed in my life” at just over 18 stone and was recovering from a mental health breakdown.
“I had worked in my local emergency department for years, all through Covid,” he said, “and the stress of that caused me to have some real mental health struggles.
“I just thought to myself, this could be something that can help me. And it has. It's been amazing.”
If Russell needed any further motivation, it came through raising money for Tommy’s.
Russell and Jo have experienced the pain of miscarriage themselves, something which provides a very personal link for the couple, who now have a young son.
He said: “When I agreed to do the London Landmarks Half-Marathon, I signed up to do it for Team Tommy's.
“It's a charity we've had personal experience with, as have friends and family. When I have those days where I can't be bothered to get changed or to go out, Tommy’s gives me the motivation to do it.”
Also on Running Tales:
Russell started training in May this year and by the beginning of July had worked his way up to running 5k. Invigorated by his success, he started making other changes to his lifestyle, eating more healthily and giving up alcohol.
“I wouldn't say I put myself on a diet,” he told Running Tales. “I just learned the word moderation. Instead of having crisps, junk food and coke in an evening, I now go for a run and then come back and have water or something like that.
“I drink shakes for lunch and they've worked wonders for me. From there, I really noticed the weight coming off.”
Russell has lost four stone so far and feels fitter than ever before, with running having brought him peace away from the rigours of everyday life.
“I wish somebody had sat me down two years ago and said, ‘do this and while you're doing it, do this as well, and you will feel a million times better’,” he said.
“I don't think I realised just how depressed and miserable I was before. Once the weight started to come off and I started to get fitter, and to feel better about the running, more weight came off, my times got a bit better and I discovered this real competitiveness with myself.
“I find more enjoyment now in going out and trying to beat my 5k time than I ever would sitting in front of the telly having a beer or something like that.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Russell has seen another benefit come from starting running.
Towards the start of the pandemic - strangely enough on the same day that then Prime Minister Boris Johnson was infected - he became very unwell with Covid.
Since then he has suffered with Long Covid, with the virus having caused damage to his left lung and left him needing three different inhalers and steroids.
But after starting running, he no longer needs medication and hardly touches the inhalers, a result which has left even his doctor amazed.
“I've got to a point now where my health has got so much better that I don't even rely on my inhalers anymore,” he said. “The last two have gone out of date in the cupboard because they've not been used.”
Although Russell is now a firm running advocate, one early run nearly put paid to his whole journey.
Following a Couch to 5k, walk/run session he felt so sick he contemplated quitting the whole endeavour.
“I felt so awful after that run, I was questioning what I was doing. Why am I doing this to myself?,” he said.
“But I said, ‘you're not quitting, you quit everything, you are not quitting this.
“And then, yes, I carried on. So I did, at the beginning, have a bit of a rocky start with it, but I just kept telling myself you don't just put some running shoes on, go for a run and be good at it.”
As Russell’s running continues to improve and he sees benefits in every part of his life, he has learnt that the sport is something he can’t stop doing.
It is a knowledge that is pushing him towards new goals, even before his first has been fully completed.
“My driving force behind all of this is I know that I can't just have a week of,” he said. “I've got to keep going, so I have been toying with the idea - probably more than toying in all fairness - of the London Marathon.
“Even if it's not London, I have debated about whether I go the full hog and do a full one. And I think the answer is probably going to be yes.
“If I want to keep going, I've got to keep pushing it.”
Russell added that he gets “quite grumpy” if he doesn’t regularly go running.
“It’s almost like I feel a pride when I go out now,” he said.
“I've progressed from a big, baggy, oversized old band t-shirt to proper running clothes, and I have one of the Tommy's vests that I wear.
“I was overweight. I was miserable. I'd been to my GP, who said my blood pressure was very high.
“There was talk of having to take medication for it.
“And people say to me, ‘oh, I couldn't do it’ but if I can do it, they can.
“This isn't like when you get one of those really in-shape, super fit people say, if I can go out and do this, then anyone can do it. If I can, then really, so can anyone.”
Thanks as ever for reading and listening to Running Tales. We couldn’t do this without your support - please back us to keep going by…