Miles with
meaning.

Running became part of the way back.

At the end of August 2025, I hit a point where I was no longer coping well. My home had burned down, I had been working far beyond what was sustainable, and the combination of stress, exhaustion and everything I had been carrying caught up with me.

I was eventually signed off work with burnout and depression. For around two months, I largely disappeared into my own world. I stayed home, did very little and tried to deal with everything by myself.

Slowly, things started to change. I began training again. I started running. At first it was simply something I could do that gave me structure and somewhere to put some of the pressure I was carrying. Over time, it became part of rebuilding myself physically and mentally.

I did eventually come through the depression, but looking back, what stands out is how alone I made that process. There were some very dark and lonely periods, and at the time I never seriously considered reaching out to a service like Heart2Heart. I convinced myself I just had to get through it on my own.

A year later, I understand that differently.

There were resources available. There were people I could have spoken to. I just did not know enough about them, or allow myself to use them.

I cannot change how I handled that period, but I can use what came out of it to raise money, create awareness and hopefully point someone else toward support before they feel they have to deal with everything alone.