Rob has been waiting a long time to run the London Marathon. He’s a seasoned runner and applied way back in 2019 to run in April 2020, but we all know what caused the cancellation of the London Marathon, not just once, but twice in that year.
COVID19 closed down the city centre to commuters, tourists, and residents alike.
It was disappointing not to run the marathon in 2020, as part of a live event, but they did put on a virtual event so participants could make use of all the training. I did the virtual event in around 3hours 30 and I would quite like to get a personal best on 3rd October, but to be honest, I’m just really looking forward to being involved in a large-scale event in London, albeit under different circumstances to how they did it in the past.
Rob has been training for such an extended period of time, that it has now become more of a way of life.
Running for me is a way of destressing. COVID completely changed my outlook on life, as it did for many people, and it was an incentive to get as fit as possible. I didn’t want to catch the train or tube to work anymore and took up cycling. Many of my colleagues and friends have done the same and incorporated fitness into their everyday activities too. I really feel like the fitter you are, the more able you are to cope with whatever life brings your way.
Rob shares his activities on his social media channels, and he has received many messages from followers explaining they have been inspired to get fitter as a result. He is an ambassador for promoting the benefits of talking about mental health and, in particular, encourages men around him to have conversations about it.
I wrote an article about my experience of mental ill-health and it was featured in Dentistry Magazine. It seemed to help people to open up.
Dentistry has been a tough industry to be in through the COVID pandemic. Shift patterns have changed; dentists have had lockdowns, fallow patches, and then longer shifts to catch up with backlogs; many have been through financial difficulties, particularly if they are self-employed and weren’t able to take advantage of the furlough scheme. Rob recognises it’s been particularly hard and is honoured to be raising money for the BDA Benevolent Fund, so more help can be offered to those in the profession that need it.
I love my work. I knew I wanted to go into dentistry as a profession because I wanted to work in healthcare and there was a much greater appeal of looking into people’s mouths than, well, other areas a GP might be looking! It has its stressful moments but I’m lucky enough to live near Richmond Park and work near Clapham Common. When I put on my Brooks trainers and have an early morning or lunchtime run, it helps clear the mind.
Rob listens to music while running, or sometimes audiobooks for variation, but when he’s on an early morning run, he turns down the volume to listen to the birdsong and appreciate the nature around him.
If you’d like to donate, visit our fundraising page.
Take a look at how Rob got on.
