Running can change your life. It can bring you new friends, take you to amazing places and give you a whole new perspective on how to get active every day.
For this year’s Be Active campaign, we’re encouraging every student who can to sign up for the Purple Wave 10k on the 24th May and get running, walking or jogging. Even if you’ve never ran further than for the bus, over the next 8 weeks we’ll be giving you weekly tips, advice and insight to get you on track and keep you motivated to make that finish line.
Want to join the purple wave? Sign up for the The Great Manchester Run on Sunday 24 May today and get it for a discounted student price of just £20.
We also have The Manchester Universities 2.5K & 5K Run on Wednesday 18 March, where you get get in some race practice as part of your training plan! The 2.5k is £2, and the 5k is just £3 to sign up.
Why start running?
Running can be utter burst-into-song joy or heart-pounding effort – sometimes on the same run. Pushing yourself in a race can be challenging, but worth every second when you cross the line and realise you’ve achieved something that you wouldn’t have dreamed of just months earlier.
Running clears the mind – something about the flow of oxygen to the muscles, not the brain, simplifies the most troublesome problems. It helps you think and feel positively, sleep better, have more energy and connect with yourself and others. Running can be done in blissful solitude, or you can team up with friends and other runners to make it a social event.
Running means different things for different people, from stop-and-starters to supersonic sprinters, but it’s safe to say there’s something for everyone.
Want to try something else?
If we’ve not managed to convince you to get running, it’s true that you don’t have to run a marathon to be active.
If you’re looking to try something new, Sport are running a ‘Learn to’ series where you can try out something new like sailing, kickboxing or diving. Keep an eye out on the Sport Facebook page for all upcoming ‘Learn to’ sessions.
There’s also Sporticipate – the beginner-level sport and physical activity programme for all students. All sessions, programmes and events are aimed at complete beginners so it doesn’t matter if you have played a sport before or not. All equipment will be provided, all you need is yourself, your registration ticket and comfortable clothing.