Someone asked me recently how I manage to find the time for all the walking & running I do with 3 kids & a busy business to manage. So it got me thinking & I managed to come up with some reasons at the time & afterwards on how I manage it, my suggestions may help someone.
Runners' frustration as some wait for refunds following cancellation of Stirling Marathon.
Some runners have been left pleading for help after being left to wait for their refund after organisers took the decision to cancel the Stirling marathon. Cancel It Please!! - that was the cry from over a thousand runners when we woke up to the relentless rain & wind on Saturday morning.
: But how glad are we all now that they didn’t - what fun was had running through lots of mud & puddles getting battered from the rain & wind and then someone threw in some hills - well lots of hills. : Well done to all the runners, organisers & volunteers for their magnificent efforts in such horrible conditions. : Sounds weird & silly but that’s the best fun I’ve had running in many years. 10/11/2019 MoRun Glasgow 2019Enjoyable 10K run this morning in Glasgow for the annual MoRun.
A time of 43 minutes 40 seconds in tricky underfoot conditions but more importantly a good fundraising day for charity. 1/9/2019 Fundraising MonthIt's September and it's a full month of charity fundraising for Prostate Cancer UK.
Starting on the 1st of the month with my commitment of 11,000 steps each day for March the Month and ending by running the Great Scottish Run Half Marathon in Glasgow. 20/4/2019 Marathon RunningSo in one week I will take part in the Stirling marathon, or as its been branded this year the Great Stirling Run. The event is now in its 3rd year and it's a scenic marathon starting and finishing in the City of Stirling while taking in the surrounding rolling countryside to the north of the city, passing through small towns such as Doune, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan where the locals come out in force to support the runners.
Now let me be honest from the beginning, I am no running expert, while I was actively fit playing football at a reasonably competitive youth level up until my late teens, for the next 16-17 years I let myself go, fed up with sport, giving no thought to exercising or what I was eating, I was just being consumed with work and business and as my business developed and grew and I became more office based instead of doing physical work my weight ballooned. "Our mental health affects the way we think, feel and behave. A mental health problem can feel just as bad, or worse, than any other illness" - SAMH website - www.samh.org.uk
I believe one of the biggest health challenges we currently face in the modern world is also still one of the least talked about and perhaps still thought of as a taboo subject. Great work has been undertaken in recent years in raising awareness of mental health and the importance of sufferers talking and seeking help but there's still a long way to go before mental health is taken as seriously as a physical health problem. I, like many others, face challenges each day, week, month and year with coping with my thoughts in everyday family and business life. On the days that don't go well for me, it affects my mood, my thoughts and my actions. There have been a few serious low points for me over the years but thankfully I have found and invested in methods and tactics that help me cope. From meditating, journalling, joining groups, to paper exercises such as asking myself a series of questions about my thoughts I have been able to help ease any major issues I could have had. One of those methods of coping is running - I have found changing my physical state either with running or a brisk walk to be one of my best tactics to help my mind and thoughts. Unfortunately there are many people affected by mental health - many people in everyday walks of life who from an outside perspective seem happy, seem successful and seem contented with life. But on the inside they are not coping with their thoughts. They are in a dark place inside and don't know what to do to help ease their troublesome thoughts. In recent years there has been an increase in awareness regarding mental health but there is a long way to go before, not only at public level but also at government level, mental health issues are deemed as important as a physical health issue. This year as part of my Stirling Marathon 26.2 mile challenge I would like to raise awareness and would welcome your support in donating to help the Scottish Association of Mental Health and the work they do to help and care for those affected by mental health. Please consider donating at www.scottmclean.charity Thank you for your Support Scott McLean www.scottmclean.scot 10/11/2018 Macmillan Coffee MorningA massive thank you to all our team plus friends, family, suppliers, delivery drivers and our postman who all donated towards the Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee morning recently held at our Stirling Electrical/Alarms office.
29/4/2018 Stirling MarathonCelebrating with the boys #Stirlingmarathon
New PB 3h49m55s - 9 minutes faster than last year. Thank you to all for the support and donations. #stirlingmarathon #stirling #scotland#running #ukrunchat #ukrunning 23/2/2018 Stephen FryA brave and inspirational watch as Stephen Fry describes in his own unique way his battle against prostate cancer. A message for us all not to ignore any signs and also for regular check ups. Encouraged to hear that his recovery is going well. Video from www.stephenfry.com More information at Prostate Cancer UK 10/2/2018 Saturday RunPlease considering supporting Prostate Cancer UK by donating at www.scottmclean.scot
8/2/2018 Support Prostate Cancer UKI'm running the Alloa Half Marathon, Stirling Scottish Marathon and the worlds largest half marathon The Great North Run for Prostate Cancer UK.
Ignoring prostate cancer won't beat it. Prostate Cancer UK has a simple ambition – to stop men dying from prostate cancer. Through shifting the science over the next 10 years we will stop prostate cancer being a killer. Please consider supporting, not my running efforts, but the future research and those currently fighting Prostate Cancer. If you would like to help support please donate at www.scottmclean.scot
February 4th (today) is World Cancer Day - a day to remember, to shed a tear, to reflect but also to be positive, be brave, be supportive and to fight - a day to get involved and support the research and the fight against cancer.
We all know someone whether a family member or friend who is currently or has been affected by cancer. In November 2012 we lost a dear friend and work colleague Maureen who sadly lost her fight against the disease after a short illness. Maureen left behind wonderful supportive parents and brother as well as a son she adored and supported with everything she could give. In a way I was fortunate up until that time to not have someone close to me suffer from cancer. Since then though I have tried as best as I can to support and raise awareness to help the fight against this horrible disease. Each day around the world thousands of people donate, bake, walk, run, cycle, swim as well as many other activities to help raise money and awareness but even more crucially each day countless partners, relatives, friends and volunteers support and care for people affected by cancer. I'm going to be blunt at this point - this is the link to the many ways you can support the fight against cancer - I beg you to consider donating via the the linked page or by supporting someone you know who is taking part in a charity event in the coming months. There are many types of cancer which need supporting and each has its own awareness and funding challenges but each one all has the same goal - to beat cancer. On 29th April 2018 I will once again take part in the Stirling Scottish Marathon - 26.2 miles running in the wonderful scenic Stirling countryside. Sounds exhausting and exciting at the same time plus also rewarding to those that complete the feat. A feat that is yes personally rewarding but also a feat that requires mental and physical strength - after 20 miles with just over 6 miles to go it is another 6 miles too far for the body which just wants to give up and stop going forward. I'm not exaggerating, 20 miles into a marathon the body is struggling and doesn't want to continue with the final miles - personally it is at that exact moment that in the past I have drawn on the support of the crowd but more importantly drawn on the support of the wonderful people that have donated and supported my efforts with my charity cause. This year I have chosen to support Prostate Cancer UK, a disease that will affect 1 in 8 men, kills a man every 45 minutes and is now a bigger killer than Breast Cancer in UK. With the Men United campaign the awareness of Prostate Cancer has increased in recent years but the funding for the research to help fight this particular type of cancer is less than other well known cancer types. Since I started running and raising money for charities in 2013 the support from family, friends, colleagues and customers has been remarkable and each time I am humbled for the support you give. Conscious of asking for your support again for charity I do believe though that raising awareness and supporting the fight against Prostate Cancer is worth me asking and pleading for your generosity again. Please consider supporting, not my running efforts, but the future research and those currently fighting Prostate Cancer. Thank You. Scott 27/1/2018 Buchlyvie 10K RunA new year and new running goals to meet in the coming months.
Enjoyable training run despite it being -3C. #stirlingmarathon #running #fitness #stirling Windy and rainy 46m:19s #buchlyvie10k and now putting the mug to good use. #tea #sugar#recovery SUPPORT Prostate Cancer UK - Donate at www.scottmclean.scot 5/1/2018 Going For The Hat-Trick"So you doing any more marathons this year Scott?" was the question from a work colleague as it then suddenly dawned on me that yes I am and that the next one is now less than 4 months away. After Edinburgh in 2016 and Stirling in 2017 it is once again my home town marathon that I have signed up as I look to complete marathon number 3. My base level of fitness is reasonably ok but I always feel I need to challenge myself to not only give me the motivation to train and improve my fitness but pushing and extending the boundaries of our comfort zones is the way to expand our capacity to live and experience life.
It's similar in business as it's always easier and more comfortable to stay within the zone that you know and have experienced but more pleasure and better rewards are usually waiting for us if we commit to giving that extra usually uncomfortable to begin with push that's required to get us into that better more rewarding zone. Thanks to my colleague who's now reminded me that it's time I planned those long training runs. 29/9/2017 Charity Coffee MorningOur team held a coffee morning at our office today in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support - proud of our team's effort and baking raising over £200.00 for the charity.
22/7/2017 Marathon Donations - Thank YouI would like to echo the compliments from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland in thanking again all the kind people who donated to my Stirling Marathon charity fundraising a few months ago.
22/5/2017 Stirling Marathon - Thank You.A final word on my Stirling Marathon journey to say thank you to everyone who supported me before and during the event. A special mention though to the kind hearted who donated a total of £600.00 to my chosen charity for the event Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland. Thank you all. 17/5/2017 Home Soil Marathon23/4/2017 Edinburgh to StirlingFour weeks to go until my second marathon and the home doorstep event at Stirling. The inaugural Stirling Scottish Marathon takes place on Sunday 21st May 2017 and my training continued today at the 10 mile Great Edinburgh Run. Running through the historic streets of Auld Reekie was good preparation for running through the historic streets of Stirling in May.
I appreciate the Stirling Marathon in May is close to home and many local people will be taking part and raising money for worthy charities and each cause is worth supporting. I am hoping to raise a small amount of money for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland who support the many people in Scotland who are affected by these conditions. If you can donate CHSS a few pounds or more it would mean a lot to the charity and help them continue to research and support these illnesses. I have a charity page available if you can help. Thank you. 9/4/2017 AchievementsOn Sunday morning I was in Grangemouth to take part in their annual Round The Houses 10k running event. The race started and ended at Grangemouth Stadium which was the venue for what I still regard as one of my greatest ever achievements. 1989 was the year and Grangemouth Stadium was the venue when a football team from Larbert near Falkirk (VIS Colts - formally North Broomage Colts) won the Under 13 Scottish Youth Cup defeating the favourites and well known Edinburgh side Hutchison Vale. Today was an ideal opportunity to look back on that day but it also got me thinking about why we don't look back on our achievements as often as we should. We are all caught up in the day to day hustle and bustle of life and for me that is especially true in the business world as I know I don't spent enough time reflecting on the past. We all get caught up in the present and the countless decisions we have to make in the current time that we don't stop and take time to reflect and learn from the past Looking back at the past and your achievements can have varying effects, one can be the usual "what if" that though is the demon negative that we must banish from our thoughts immediately. I can look back to when I was 18 years old and when I gave up football to concentrate on my electrical career and ask "what if" - what could I have become if I had dedicated all my time to football instead of an electrical apprenticeship. Or we could look back on our past and our achievements and learn from it but to do that I and you need to set time aside and remove ourselves from the present and allow time to reflect on the past. So instead of wondering and dwelling on the what if's of why I gave up football, I could look at our teams achievement in 1989 and look at how we defeated the favourite on the day, how as a group of individuals we all played to our own strengths which galvanised us as a team, how we were coached by focused dedicated individuals who got the best out of each one of us to benefit the sum of the team, how by hard work and dedication we deservedly won the cup, how we had to spend many cold winter nights after school in the rain and cold training in the dark to help us achieve our goal. Taking time out to reflect on those positives of the past will help us make better present and future decisions. We all spend and yes that still at times includes me, living and getting bogged down in the present but our future can become much more clearer and straightforward by taking time out to reflect and learn from our wins and loses in the past BUT we must allow time in the present to learn from the past which in turn will influence our future. There's countless more successful people in the world that have achieved much more than winning a football cup competition at 13 years old but the reflecting on the achievement and learning from the negative and plus points of the past is what drives and steers our future success. Support My Marathon Charity My Stirling Marathon training continued today with another half marathon around the streets of Stirling. Even running in the pleasant spring afternoon sunshine there were many emotions I had to go through to run 13.1 miles especially when you know you have to double that distance for the marathon. It should be noted that I did complete my first marathon in Edinburgh last year so I do know whats it's like to double that distance. (but please don't remind me) Whether it's physical pain or mental challenges you will experience it all as you start to run those distances. In a way I compare it to running a business. 21 years of varying degrees of challenges each week/month - counter balanced by the end game and the many satisfying days of watching your company and employees progress. To coin a phrase 'when the going gets tough' in running and in business you will at least question what you are doing and at worse feel like giving up when the pressure and pain increases but during that time that is the most vital and important part of your journey, it's at this stage you must muster all the remaining energy you have, you must focus the mind and banish those mind games, it will be tough, it will be tiring, giving up is the easiest solution at this stage. But you need to adjust your pace, adjust your focus and concentrate on the vision of the end game, go on - keep on adjusting your pace and focus, the hurdles are getting easier, the pain is easing, the reward at the end will far outweigh the pain along the way. Not everyone runs a marathon or runs a business because it's not easy but those that truly know how it will feel at the finish line, how satisfying it will be to watch your employees progress through your company or at the winning of a contract or how proud you will be at your son or daughters weeding day know it will all far outweigh the challenges and the pain you will encounter along the journey BUT importantly you do need to experience the journey along the way to achieve and appreciate the end result. I'm happy to offer and help with advice to anyone looking to set up or grow their company. Just get in touch
19/3/2017 Support My Charity FundraisingI am taking part in the first ever Stirling Scottish Marathon on 21st May 2017. After completing my first marathon in Edinburgh last year I have decided to take part in this new event in my home city of Stirling and I will be supporting Scotland's Health Charity - Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.(CHSS). My father died in 2010 from 'COPD' - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and I hope that you will support me to raise funds for CHSS. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people in Scotland affected by chest, heart and stroke illness, through medical research, influencing public policy, advice and information and support in the community. Many of you have supported my past charity events and I am very grateful for your support and any donations you give to my CHSS fundraising would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. |
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