Running – my latest failure

I FAIL all the time. I think most folk do actually.

Not much failure on Twitter though, so I thought I would add some balance to the wondrous array of apparently successful professionals online.

The target for my fundraising efforts was £1,750. It is now February 1st and I have only raised £1,653.

This is by definition a complete failure.

Before October I had never run before. I really did not enjoy it to begin with, but the discomfort has incrementally reduced over the months of training. The first 2 Kilometers remain difficult.

The thing about running alone (and in January mostly in the dark) is that you have time to think. I thought a lot about the pharmacists that perhaps have had to access the services of Pharmacist Support. Imagine for a moment if you were trapped in a cycle of stress, anxiety or other mental illness — the pharmacy employment market has become ever more hostile.

Consider how it would feel to be fit and healthy one day, but diagnosed with a life-changing disease the next. A diagnosis of cancer or MS could shorten or end a pharmacy career overnight. As I was running, I considered how lucky I, and others are, to have choice in our lives. Health is indeed our wealth although the benefits of a relatively healthy life for most are taken for granted until compromised.

So with this in mind, I return to my epic failure to hit my fundraising target. The thing is, unlike many users of Pharmacist Support services, I have the ability to choose. I have failed, but I am lucky to be able to fail so spectacularly.

I have chosen to keep on running 5K every night until I meet my target of £1,750 to help those that have had the gift of choice taken away from them.

Please consider donating if you can, by clicking HERE