GUEST BLOG: "My new found appreciation for outdoor space": a London Marathon runners' story
Libby Smith is one of twelve runners taking part in the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon to support the work of Fields in Trust. Ahead of the race, Libby shares the importance of green spaces to her and why she is taking on the world's greatest marathon to protect the benefits they bring.
You can sponsor Libby by visiting her fundraising page online. You can also support our other runners taking part in the in-person race: Nicholas Williams-Ridgeon, Nick Newbury, Edward Tollemache, Fred Hanson-Smith and Kit Hanson-Smith; as well as the runners fundraising for us in the virtual marathon: Alison Owens and Ann Heywood.
I have been lucky enough to get a place running this year's London Marathon with Fields in Trust and, after 18 months of uncertainty, I can't wait to stand on a start line surrounded by others with a collective passion for running and do something that used to feel so "normal"!
I have run the London Marathon once before, which was an experience I'll never forget and I'm so grateful to Fields in Trust to get this opportunity again. We all choose to run for different reasons, be that physical health, mental wellbeing, or in my case to negate the calories from the night before, but as a result the start pen at an event so famous at the London Marathon is full of diversity. At my previous marathon I enjoyed the company of a seven-month pregnant woman and a 78 year old grandma, both of whom completed the event and reflect one of the many things I love so much about running – its inclusivity and accessibility. Anyone can do it anywhere, and I'm excited to see who I meet on my way round this October. The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the toilet queues!
The past 18 months has given us all an opportunity to reflect on what is most important to us. In addition to the health of my loved ones, at the very top of my priority list is my perceived right to outdoor space. When lockdown took hold in March 2020, this was limited for the first time in many of our lifetimes to once a day for exercise and essential shopping. Without a garden, as a self-confessed sufferer of cabin-fever, I felt like a caged animal and had it not been for the many footpaths, parks and green spaces on my doorstep, I would've really struggled to feel like myself. According to the Office for National Statistics, one in eight households struggled through lockdown with no garden, and found themselves, like me, with a new found appreciation for outdoor space. I'm embarrassed to say that I have taken my access to lovely parks, fields and footpaths for granted. Living in rural Norfolk, access to the great outdoors is very easy, something I usually do all the time, and is inextricably linked to my happiness. I use this space to prepare ahead of days I know will be stressful, as well as unwind at the end. Any mood can be matched by being outside, from wanting peace and quiet through to a desire to be around others.
"Running is such an inclusive community and can offer instant support and friendship should you want it - none of this would be possible if we didn't have access to parks and open spaces in which to hold events [like parkrun]."
Parks can be a meeting point for communities, where you can make connections with people you pass daily on a walk, that otherwise you may never have met. Perhaps encouraged by restrictions on meeting indoors, I have enjoyed several fitness classes outside in my local park that otherwise I wouldn't have known existed, where I have met some really interesting individuals that I have kept socialising with long after the rules have eased. Similarly, I am very lucky to live within reach of three fantastic parkruns, all of which perfectly reflect how running is such an inclusive community and can offer instant support and friendship should you want it – none of this would be possible if we didn't have access to parks and open spaces in which to hold events of this nature.
When I consider that some people may not have such easy access to outdoor space to use as they see fit, then not only do I feel incredibly lucky to live where I do, but I also appreciate the work of Fields in Trust even more. Their aim of protecting outdoor space for as many people as possible, be that for use as a social space, or to combine with my other favourite passion - exercise - is so vital. We all know they're important for mental wellbeing, but I genuinely feel it can make a community more cohesive and give people opportunities they don't feel they get elsewhere.
A perfect example is a friend's child, who didn't enjoy school but loved sport. Getting involved with other children playing football in the park allowed him to make friends and grow in confidence enough to now love going to school. Without this network of friends that he made outside of the school gates in his local park, he wouldn't be having the same school experience and therefore opportunities as he is having now by being the happiest and most confident version of himself. None of this would've been possible without green space in which to play, and so again, I am thankful for the work of Fields in Trust to ensure as many people as possible get the opportunity to spend time outside.
I am so grateful to Fields in Trust for trusting me with a marathon place, and I hope to do them proud. Now to get training outside in my own local green space to prepare!
A big thank you, Libby, for supporting our work to protect, support and champion green spaces for good by taking on the London Marathon. You're doing something amazing for our nation's local parks and we'll be cheering you on all 26.2 miles of the way!
You can sponsor Libby by visiting her fundraising page online. You can also support our other runners taking part in the in-person race: Nicholas Williams-Ridgeon, Nick Newbury, Edward Tollemache, Fred Hanson-Smith and Kit Hanson-Smith; as well as the runners fundraising for us in the virtual marathon: Alison Owens and Ann Heywood.