Learn how The Big 100 can help you enjoy exercise again
Andy, who lives with a rare type of pulmonary fibrosis tells us about his experience taking part in our walking challenge, The Big 100, and why he’ll be taking part again this year! Learn more about The Big 100 and sign up today!
I’ve always been an active person and loved exercise. However, after being diagnosed with a rare type of pulmonary fibrosis five or six years ago, my ability to do things like run marathons dropped off rapidly.
Over the course of a couple of years, I went from running marathons in Mr. Men costumes to struggling to run 5k and I got quite disillusioned as activity will only get harder and harder as the disease progresses.
I got a bit lost for a while before I started to focus on what I could do rather than what I couldn’t. I got into cycling on my static bike and pushing myself by walking a minimum of 10,000 steps every single day really helped me re-engage with exercise again.
The Big 100 was the perfect next step for me, as it provided a challenge to focus on and got me involved with fundraising for a great cause again, which I’d really missed.
Why I love The Big 100
I think what’s great about this walking challenge, is that it’s something that anyone can take part in and is super flexible. 100k in a month is tough by anyone’s standards but it can be adapted to work around the individual. For me, I wanted to see whether I could do it over the course of a single weekend to make it more like an ultra-event, reminiscent of the times when I used to run marathons regularly.
I picked out a 100k stretch of the Kent coastline (Rye to Margate), booked a hotel roughly halfway (Dover) and proceeded to walk it over the course of a weekend. This was a massive challenge that pushed me out of my comfort zone and gave me enormous confidence that I can still do things despite my lung condition.
My wife joined me for sections of the walk and the BLF events team was brilliant at encouraging me over the course of the event, messaging me good luck in advance and retweeting me when I put updates out. The medal and certificate were a very nice touch that I really wasn’t expecting.
Why I’ll be taking part again this year
After missing out last year due to a combination of holiday, health and puppy training commitments, I am definitely taking part this year. I enjoyed it so much the previous year and I was jealous reading participant stories in 2020!
I’m especially looking forward to it as I now live on the South Coast where there are so many great places to walk! I’m still finalising my exact routes, but my initial thoughts are that I would like to walk from my house in Bournemouth all the way to West Bay via Chesil Beach over the course of a long weekend.
I can’t wait to take part in the Big 100 this September and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a new challenge that you can take at your own pace! It gave me such a great sense of focus and something to look forward to and strive towards.
Why you should take part:
The Big 100 is an excellent way to take on a rewarding challenge, get outside and give back to the community. If you raise £100, you’ll receive an official Team Breathe water bottle. And if you raise £200, you’ll receive a limited edition Big 100 2021 Medal! Don’t miss out, sign up today!
We empower people with lung conditions to make changes that can be transformative.
Please donate now to help make sure people with lung conditions can live well this year.
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Earlier this year. Grace , who is part of our Research + Innovation team, challenged herself to walk 100 miles in March to raise money for Asthma + Lung UK. After signing up, she had the surprising realisation that she was one of the one in five people in the UK who will be diagnosed with a lung condition in their lifetime. Here she tells us about her staggering diagnosis of tuberculosis and her fundraising journey.