Girl guide runs back from illness to fitness

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A girl guide volunteer who fought back from a meningitis scare which left her hospitalised has used running to get back to mental and physical fitness and has successfully completed her first parkrun 5k event.

Mim Fenwick joined Run England, as part of the Changing the Physical Activity Landscape (CPAL) programme, supported by NHS County Durham and Darlington and County Durham Sport, aiming to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in people aged 40-74 in County Durham through increased physical activity.

Mim was keen to get back to running after her illness but was advised by her group leader at Run England to wait until she had regained all her strength. She finally returned after a six months break at the end of last year.

"It was great to be back but I still have to take each day at a time and I have an afternoon nap to keep my strength up."
 
Now she attends Run England sessions twice a week in Teesdale and Bishop Auckland and has built up from scratch to run between three and four miles each time. After the success of the parkrun she now has her sights set on a 10k run.

"When I started running I was feeling quite down and I wanted a lift. The group has given me friendship and companionship  and I am so much fitter now and I have really toned up. I feel amazing when I run," said Mim. "It's not just the fitness but the companionship and friendship too. Everyone is given a chance to shine and the support is fantastic."

"I never thought I would get to this stage. I had a wish list of goals which started with running to the lamp post, then two lamp posts, then three and having a walk. I have ticked off 1k and 5k runs and now I am aiming for 10k. My husband Ashley has been marvellous and ran the parkrun with me."

To find out information about any of the running groups in County Durham contact Sarah Beadle on Tel: 0792 106 0301 or email sbeadle@englandathletics.org.