Page 54 - Eclipse - RVC Alumni Magazine - Autumn 2020

Running a marathon for the RVC ACT
Christina Paish, BVetMed 2019
They say the hardest part of running a marathon is the training – and this year’s RVC Animal Care Trust (ACT) runners would agree.
We’ve been Strava-tracking, carb-loading and blister popping ever since places were announced last October – and we could still be going this time next year.
After its cancellation, the 40th London Marathon instead became the inaugural virtual race, and on 4th October myself and four other ACT runners laced up our trainers to run 26.2 miles around our local area, setting our sights for London 2021/22 or even 23.
For me, running the marathon this
year was a goal I set myself alongside my first year working in small animal practice, as a way of settling into graduate life. Running for the ACT feels like the perfect way to give back to the
RVC community. It also really helps to have something to focus on at mile 15, on an early Sunday morning after a few drinks the night before!
From hospital facilities funded by donations, to the blood donor scheme and direct support to students like myself through the Alumni Fund, having seen first-hand the difference the ACT makes is what provides much needed boosts of motivation through the extra training weeks.
The initial impact of Coronavirus delaying the race did not affect me much further than the one-hour exercise limit we
were all restricted to, as I continued
to work throughout the pandemic and
was not enrolled on the government furlough scheme, like other colleagues. Although there were a few brutal weeks of emergency work with fewer team members than normal, this is something I am ultimately grateful for as a new graduate.
Lockdown presented
a whole new set of challenges – remote consulting, car park consulting and extra
PPE to name but a few – alongside the usual new graduate learning curve. But not having an enforced break in my work meant
no lapse in skills and, if anything, sped up my development and pushed me through my PDP.
Running for me has become a welcome routine through new graduate and lockdown life. I set a schedule to keep some normality, as well as a mental reset.
I can now notice a real difference in my mood and focus when I have missed a run or two.
My colleagues have also noticed a difference – with the changes to my fundraising plan, the baked goods to sell to clients were put on hold, so there was a definite
increase in the amount of cake in the staff room during lockdown!
The running
community
is another
happy benefit
of marathon
training. I’ve
roped my
twin and mum
into joining a
weekend long run, found countless pieces of advice on the best gear
and latest beetroot juice theories on Facebook groups, and our ACT runners WhatsApp group was full of highs and lows of the will it/won’t it go ahead debate over the past few months.
The London Marathon is renowned for its crowds pulling runners round the course, but this year were replaced with friends and family. I ran the virtual event as laps around Richmond Park. Wearing my ACT vest and marathon bib, it was just as much a special atmosphere, just a little more socially distanced.
Congratulations to Christina on completing her virtual marathon. We wish her all the best for the rest of her marathon journey. If you were also meant to be running a marathon this year and had to adapt your plans, then we would love to hear about your experience too. Email us: alumni@rvc.ac.uk
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