Your World

Your views, your images, your pages

UNICORN RUNNER

I have been doing a year-long unicorn run, an every-day challenge for the mental-healthy charity Mind. I run at least a mile every day, wearing a unicorn horn (yes, a unicorn horn!), to raise awareness and break down stigma. I am 107 days in. This month I have been continuing my challenge with the RED (Run Every Day) January Facebook community. I have been making my own ‘hearts of hope’ to leave along my route with my own messages, sending light and love to runners everywhere. Please get talking about mental health and break down stigma! Katt the Unicorn Runner, via email

@follow_that_unicorn_runner

FOOD AND WATER

Reading your Feb article about Mina Guli completing 100 marathons in 100 days (which is an amazing effort) to raise awareness of saving water, I noticed the statistic for litres of water saved by cutting a shower down by one minute multiplied by the UK population. This came out at 1,420,000 litres, which seems huge. However, I did some investigation into the water requirements for the production of our food. Using data from the US, I discovered that it takes 6,810 litres to produce a pound of beef. Divide that figure by four for a quarter-pounder, then multiply by 60,000,000 (around 90 per cent of the UK population, allowing for those that don’t eat beef) and the figures come to 101,940,000,000 litres. That’s right, 101.9 billion litres of water for one single quarter-pounder of beef per person each year. Think of what we could do if we made different food choices.

Dan Barnes, via email

HAPPY READER

I’ve told you before of the high quality of content and writing in Runner’s World. February 2019 had two further examples: Liz Fraser’s farewell to her running route was emotionally charged and a great read, while Edison Eskeets’ exploits in honour of the Navajo people speaks volumes for human love – all through running, of course.

Graeme Wilson, Kirkcaldy

Thanks a lot, Graeme. Liz’s moving article sparked great debate in the office about the running routes we’d struggle to say goodbye to. We’re sure every one of us has one. Or two…

NOT CHOCOLATE

I am not sure that this qualifies as a letter. It’s more of a question: does anyone sell quality protein bars that do not have any chocolate in them? I have an allergy and am struggling to find anything suitable. I have been using Myprotein Zero bars, which used to be available in apple and cinnamon, with a hefty 20g protein per bar, but these have been discontinued. I run with friends and many of them are trying to lose their sweet tooth (ie avoid chocolate) and eating a protein bar with chocolate just makes them go and get the real thing afterwards! Can you help us?

Carol Harris, via email

You’re right, Carol: it’s incredibly hard to find a chocolate-free protein bar. Natural bars, such as Kind or Nakd bars, offer chocolate-free alternatives, but only pack in about 10g of protein. If you’re prepared to eat a protein flapjack instead, the Grenade Coconut Chaos is one chocolate-free option worth checking out.

WHAT A COMMUNITY!

When I was getting into running, I thought that I might not be seen as good enough or that people who had been at it longer might look down on me. That has not been the case. Everyone I have met so far has offered advice and generally given me support. This has helped my mental health no end. I am genuinely excited to go for runs and races these days because I know that not only will the run help me, but the people will too. So if you are one of those people who goes out of their way to offer advice or just give a friendly wave: thank you, it means the world.

Nathan Williams, via email

TWIN TARGETS

I was amazed to hear your editor’s target for 2018 was a sub-19:00 5K, as that was exactly my own target for 2018. I have had heart problems for a couple of years, which resulted in a pacemaker being inserted in June 2018. A time of 19:34 was my best without the pacemaker in March 2018, and I did 19:11, 19:08 and 19:00 at the end of the year, failing by one second to get under 19:00. Hopefully, we can both crack it this year! John Lowden (aged 62),

Brighton & Hove AC

That’s good going, John. RW editor Andy, who is 16 years your junior and pacemaker-free, is now feeling the pressure to post a decent time…

WE ASK, YOU ANSWER