Running offers gift of mental health
Last year the friends were training together for a half- marathon. It was a highly scheduled, technical process that involved putting trust into a schedule that at times they didn’t really understand.
There were short fast runs. Long, slower runs over a greater distance to build endurance. There were hill runs and sprints.
All precisely orchestrated in the weeks and days leading up to their race — the Niagara Falls International Marathon. A half- marathon is 21.1 km.
During their runs, friends Joanne Leblanc and Louisa Drost got talking about the journey of running. In many ways, the training became more important to them than the race itself.
“The more we run, the better we feel,” she said.
“Our activity and exercise made us more resilient and able to manage.”
Manage life at home, at work and manage life in general.
“It was making us stronger. And we wanted to give this back to people.”
On Sunday, the two friends will bring people together for the first Stride2Wellness run. They have teamed up with Pathstone Mental Health and will donate funds raised at the event to the children’s mental health centre, to create a naturalized playground and healing garden, a space for children and families to play, or simply to be quiet and meditate. According to Pathstone, one in every five youths is in need of mental health services. The rates of anxiety and depression in youth is growing. And suicide is the second leading cause of death of teens in Canada.
Since 2006- 07, there has been a 54 per cent increase in emergency department visits and 60 per cent increase in hospitalizations for Ontario children and youth with mental health issues.
Pathstone will serve about 5,000 children, youth and their families this year. The run begins at Pathstone’s head office on Fourth Avenue in St. Catharines. There are one-, five- and 10- kilometre routes.
Leblanc, a therapist at Pathstone, said she encourages people to be active at their own personal levels.
Stride2Wellness
“Running brought us a different version of strength,” she said.
“We had to find our grit,” she added. “And then, when we thought we had found our grit, we became even grittier.”
They became stronger physically and mentally. They had to put trust in the training process, an experience which gave them confidence and strengthened their friendship. They were able to be vulnerable and move out of their comfort zones, yet reassured that it would turn out OK.
“The ripple effect extended to family, friends and co- workers,” she said.
Their next goal is to compete in the Around the Bay race, a 30- kilometre race in Hamilton.
Leblanc hopes the Stride2Wellness run will be a catalyst for others to be active.
“I hope they come out and feel the day,” she said. “To feel what it’s like to move their body.”
A run on Sunday, Nov. 5 to raise funds for mental wellness — specifically, a naturalized playground and healing garden at Pathstone Mental Health. There are one-, five- and 10- kilometre routes. For more information or to register, visit www. strides2wellness. com