Alison Mcfadden
Team A & J have run together before for the National Autistic Society, we signed up to the Royal Parks Half Marathon in 2016 and raised a healthy sum. We trained using the assistance of an app and went from being solely gym users as our way to stay active, to running the half marathon without needing to walk! Running the whole way and beating our forecast time was fantastic. We stretched well afterwards and felt fine, we were amazed!
I am very grateful to the National Autistic Society for giving me a place on the Earlybird course after Jasper was diagnosed with high functioning autism aged about 3 years old. The training gave me knowledge and understanding and taught me how best to help Jasper thrive. As a family, we could then set off into life, worrying less and having lots of fun.
Jasper is now 23 years of age; he is a lovely young man and is studying Archaeology at university. This year he has been on a work placement with a fantastic commercial archaeology company. Due to Covid-19 he has been furloughed and we decided to take on a running challenge, despite my newly arthritic knee! We thought the virtual run for the National Autistic Society would be perfect as we could go at our own pace. Having decided to aim for 10km we are now past the half marathon distance and aiming for a full marathon distance by 31st July. We go for about 2km or 3km runs at a time and so far, so good!
We have even managed to coax Tim (Jasper’s Dad) away from his computer, whilst working at home during lockdown, and he has clocked up a few kilometres. We do not add the distances together, we keep track of how far we each run individually.
We also run with our 11-year-old Dalmatian, another reason for not going too far in one go. He, like me, used to run a lot further but we have to watch his joints don’t swell!
Running helps us stay fit and healthy. We run in woods and the fresh air and natural beauty there are great for maintaining optimum mental health, as well as all the physical benefits.
The National Autistic Society, as a charity helps families like ours, where a member is autistic. We will always be grateful for that Earlybird training which set us off happily on our path, as a family living with autism.
So now we are turning ‘miles into smiles’ and raising money for the National Autistic Society as part of the Virtual Run challenge.
Be a home hero like Alison and Jasper!
You can sign up now and take part in your very own virtual running challenge. If you fancy something different, have a look below to see what else you can do from home.