“Running is very good for your mind and soul. I always say run/walk your worries away”

Mollie Wain recently won the ‘Mammoth Mileage Award’ at the Swad Joggers awards ceremony, completing over 3000 miles through jogging, hiking, running and trail running. Not only that, she also won an award for the ‘Best Dressed’, being known for her brightly coloured outfits and getting in the spirit by dressing up as a pumpkin, The Grinch and an Elf!

Have a read below of her fabulous journey into running that started 5 years ago when she bought a new furry companion.

My fitness journey started when I brought home a Golden Retriever puppy named Winnie, 5 years ago. I began walking around my local area, finding a love for being outdoors. I was always intrigued to find new paths and enjoyed the sense of adventure. I began to walk miles without even realising. At school I wasn’t very active at all, always tried to get out of PE or do as little as possible. It was a very daunting feeling thinking how do I start running, do you just walk out the door and run or what? So I started couch to 5k in January 2023, alone, and was a complete ‘Newbie’ to running. I truly benefited from the app as it was like a step to step guide of how to begin your running journey. It provided me with achievable goals, very easy to follow and was so rewarding when I completed the programme.

I began running for many reasons. Firstly, I loved walking my dog and wanted to spend more time outdoors. I also wanted to become healthier, loose a bit of the Christmas weight and achieve a goal. I remember running in the snow during couch to 5k and thinking ‘Am I mad’. This was my second attempt at couch to 5k after attempting to complete it 4 years prior. Therefore, I was determined. Once I got my feet moving and remembered how it made me feel, I just knew running was for me. It gave me ‘time out’ from everyday life and helped me clear my mind and just enjoy my surroundings. Running is very good for your mind and soul. I always say run/walk your worries away.

Being local to the area where Swad Joggers run,  I used to always drive past and see a large group of people out running and thought who are they. We have a local magazine for our village, and they advertise in there. I knew a few of the members and they encouraged me to join. I googled local running groups in my area which led me to their Facebook page.

I joined Swad joggers November 2023 and have never looked back. A friend and I, who I spontaneously met, (truly believe we were destined to meet) were on a similar running journey and we joined together. We were running together weekly, however, we were running out of new routes.  We thought it’ll be great to meet new people who share the same interest, find new local routes, as well as believing it to be safer to run at night with a group of people.

When I first joined Swad joggers my goals were to just slowly increase my mileage as well as continuing to find new routes around my local area. I was still very new to running so I was unsure what I could achieve or how I could challenge myself. Swad joggers allowed me to understand anything was achievable, no goal was too big or too small. I did my first 10k race in March 2024 with Swad joggers and then I recently did The Winter Bash 10 mile race.

The best thing about being part of a group is the people! Running with Swad Joggers makes the miles feel like minutes. They become your friends, and you look forward to seeing them every week. There have been times in the pouring rain where you’re sat at home debating whether to go running or not, but then you turn up to Swad joggers and see a group of crazy people who are still up for running and you know that you’re not alone.

I’m such a social runner and truly enjoy a chat and laugh during my runs. During some sessions I have even been known to have a sing song. They are extremely supportive and encourage you to sign up to races that I wasn’t even aware of before joining a running group. Going to races as a group creates such a wonderful atmosphere. You’re not only celebrating your own achievements but everyone else’s too.

I love nothing more than cheering on my fellow runners. Everyone runs for their own individual reasons but running brings us all together. Some runs feel like a free therapy session. I enjoy seeing how far people have come. Watching people become faster or stepping up to a different mileage group – Swad joggers allows people to do this and are so encouraging no matter your ability.

The leaders offer a variety of different routes such as trails, hills etc. They encourage you to run out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself without even realising. Swad joggers introduced me to trail running and I have never looked back. I love the mud! One of the leaders encouraged me to attend some Run For The Tress (RFTT) and Peak Running social runs and I cannot get enough of them. I have lived in Swad my whole life and Swad joggers has found me new routes I had no idea existed. It has given me so much more confidence and provided me with the opportunity to share my passion, by recently becoming a co-leader.

I’m extremely grateful to the Run Leaders. A lot of hard work goes into planning routes, writing run reports and keeping everyone safe. A lot of the leaders work full time, have their own lives and other commitments yet they still volunteer to lead jog groups. Some leaders go above and beyond, they organise social runs at the weekends, share races on the Facebook page, arrange social nights out and cheer people on at races. The leaders are extremely supportive, passionate and dedicated. They encourage people to increase their mileage as well as providing them with the confidence to do so. Each leader has their own personality, running style, humour and brings their own individual twist to a running session. Without the leaders there would be no Swad joggers. I cannot thank them enough.

What I love about running, is the distance you can travel on your feet. You can run miles without even realising. The sense of ‘freedom’ when you are on a trail run. Taking in your surroundings and being grateful for where I live. I also find it extremely social and enjoy exercising with a great bunch of people. It truly makes me realise my body and mind is capable of anything.

Since I started my running journey with Swad, I have taken part in and achieved many things;

• Won the Swad Joggers ‘Mammoth Mileage’ award

• Ran a 27 mile trail race – Dovedale dipper

• Swad introduced me to park run

• Volunteered at Rosliston Park run during Swad Joggers take over

• Beat the streets – Collecting points and exploring the different local areas

• Walking challenges – Edale skyline 22miles, Matlock skyline 22miles, Snowdon, The National Forest Way 75 miles, Peak district 9 Edge challenge -24 Miles

• Hikes all across the Peak District

• 4am Sunrise run to celebrate my 30th Birthday 2023

• Ran 25 miles on 01/01/2025 to celebrate 2025

• Getting a 5k PB on my 31st Birthday 2024

• Became a co-leader for Swad joggers

• Became a 5k leader for an all-girls running group on Mondays – This Girl runs

• MOST IMPORTANTLY all the memories made during the above, the people I shared them with and the laughs along the way.

Since starting jogging my passion has encourage my best friends and family to start running. I am now able to enjoy runs with the people who mean the most to me. Since joining Swad joggers I have also recently met my partner. We now enjoy many runs together and I have recently introduced him to trail running.

I have gained so many new friends and often spend my weekends on social runs with them or cheering them on at park runs. Since joining I have become fitter, more toned and lost weight. I can walk and run distances I never knew were capable. Achieving the 27-mile Dovedale Dipper trail marathon was a huge high for myself, I am now thinking about the High Peak 40 challenge.

I truly believe running has changed my life for the better. I enjoy having that time to myself and doing something for me. I look forward to my next run and what adventure it is going to bring. It causes me to always have a smile on my face, helps me de-stress and gives me an escape away from reality. I now feel my life is very balanced. I am always willing and wanting to challenge myself further. I like to research different challenges, races and hikes. I have a new found confidence to plan and follow new routes on OS maps or All trails.

At first, I always thought I had to continue to increase my speed and get a new PB. I became my own worst enemy. I would compare myself to others and forget that I was still extremely new to running. I soon realised that no-one really cares or remembers what time you did a race in other than yourself. They would still congratulate you regardless. I soon realised taking part is an achievement in itself as not everyone has the ability to run. I don’t enjoy competition or the thought of training. At times after a race, I have had an adrenaline/pressure headache which has caused me great discomfort, even lead me to be sick a few times. I try not to set myself too many goals. I have a fear of putting too much pressure on myself and losing my love for running. At times I forget to just enjoy the moment. I found it difficult to accept walking was okay to do on a run when I first started, I saw this as a weakness. Now I enjoy taking photos and just looking around at my surroundings.