Ben's Motivation to Run Mountains

By Ben Russell, ‘Couch to Coached’ podcast host and former running coach

Running and sports in general require most people to find their ‘why’. It always sounds a bit up themselves when someone says that, but it really is another way of saying why you are doing it. I don't just mean on the sunny days, when you have loads of spare time and work is going well. But when things are in that dark hole that means all you really want to do is stay in bed or sit in front of that screen and not move or communicate.

So what is my ‘why’?

A ‘why’ is personal to you, that something that makes you want to do what you are doing. It may mean nothing to someone else, but it means the world to you.

It is the motivating factor that gets you going. The thing that makes you lace up your trainers when you really can’t be bothered.

My name is Ben Russell, I’m 38 years old. I am a former running coach and a co-host on the ‘Couch to Coached’ running podcast. In April I ran Manchester Marathon setting a new PB of 03:06:17 which I am very proud of, but that achievement left me searching for my new ‘why’.

For the past 5 years now my Mom has been living with the health condition Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP).

A horrible condition that limits life’s enjoyments and can stop a person from living their life the way they want to.

My Mom’s symptoms, if we can call them this are loss of walking, talking, eating and drinking, she also occasionally loses the ability to open her eyes willingly. I take it that I need not go on to understand how cruel the condition is, a condition that is unknown to most people.

So, with that I decided on a fundraising challenge to raise money for The PSP Association, the charity that funds vital research and support for families coping with the condition.

Having recently turned 38 I have decided to run the combined elevation of the ten tallest mountains in the world by the time I turn 40 years old. A combined elevation of 274,843ft.

I am a father of two young girls (5 & 3), a husband, a business owner and in part a carer for my Mom. Time is not easy to come by.

Broken down, the challenge requires me to run every day in some capacity and when I do, I need to hunt down the hills and climb them. A failure to get out and run means my challenge becomes harder over time, something I want to avoid.

I’m occasionally running twice a day with 500ft elevation the minimum requirement. Recently I ran Mow Cop Killer Mile not once but 3 times back-to-back, and I also ran the Ashbourne Half Marathon (7th July) with more big events to come.

It goes without saying that my body and in particular my legs need fuelling and looking after.

I am confident that I will be able to keep climbing as I have Protein Rebel in my corner.

My current regime includes Maple Ignite energy gels for those long runs and double run days, recovery with Run Easy Marine Collagen and the recently introduced Accelerate Protein Powder for my aching muscles.

Over the next few months, the Protein Rebel team has kindly agreed to let me share my ‘why’ with you. My hope is that it will raise awareness for the charity PSP Association and will inspire you too to find your WHY!

If you would like to read more about my ‘why’ please visit www.justgiving.com/page/climbingmountainsformom

You can also follow along on Instagram by searching for @b.russell1

I also talk about the challenge each week on the podcast ‘Couch to Coached’.

I’ll finish this post by quoting C.S Lewis who said “ You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."

Find your ‘why’ and get after it!

Ben.