Thomas Dunning: The Mental Health Runner
Pace stuck in a training plateau?
If your times haven't dropped in months, you likely need a new stimulus. We've trained our AI coach, Raye, on elite programmes to help you break through. Jump in with no sign-up and ask, for instance: 'What is the best threshold session to improve my 10K pace?' Discover ways to break your plateau.
Any mention of mental health generally conjures up images of isolation, institutionalisation and danger to society. I want to change this.
In 2014, I suffered numerous psychotic episodes that would culminate in attempted suicide. It took me a long time to realise I had a problem but eventually I sought help from my GP and local crisis team. I confided in friends who ultimately turned their back on me and set up fake social media accounts in my persona, sending me messages of hate – all I could think about doing was taking my life to make everyone happy. After receiving various diagnoses, I started to cope with medication, therapy and comfort eating, the latter being my more destructive way of self-help. Eventually my weight skyrocketed and this was having a detrimental impact on my mental health.
In 2017, I realised that at my heaviest weight of 23 ½ stone, something had to change. I turned my attention to wanting to lose weight. With the support of my wife and whilst supporting a charity which helped to save my life, Mind, I began following slimming world which as a food lover suited me perfectly, and I started to run short distances. Just over 7 and a half months later I have lowered my weight to 16 stone, losing 7 ½ stone in the process and have started to cover larger distances.
I learned that physical exercise for myself was one of the best controls for my mental health: an outlet where I could tame the demons that follow me around every day. Now that my goal of weight loss is complete and I am using exercise to improve my mental wellbeing, I have a new challenge. I am now sharing my story to help those suffering with mental health issues to realise that “It’s okay to not be okay” and to do this I have set up my website: MentalHealthRunner.co.uk
I want to break down the mental health stigma and start conversations to prevent the hatred our community often receives. I want people to realise that 1:4 people suffer from mental health issues and many suffer in silence, feeling like they don’t have a voice and won’t be heard.
