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Fill Your Cup April Virtual Running Challenge
April 1, 2020 - April 30, 2020
How often do we get overwhelmed and forget to look after ourselves? It is not selfish to take time out for ourselves. This month we are going to take some advice from water and see how we can fill our own cups, by making time for ourselves and some self care. Our challenge has been adapted from Ilan Shamir’s “Advice from a River”. You can learn more about Ilan Shamir, author and founder of Your True Nature.
How much of this advice can you take on board this month? We have put a running/walking slant on each piece of advice. The advice is written with the linked running or walking activity is below it.
Each runner will receive a collapsible keep cup ‘medal’ which you can use during other races to avoid the use of disposable plastic cups.
Please note this is an actual keep cup on a lanyard and not a real “medal” but can be kept collapsed if you wish to hang it on your medal rack.
You can attach it or remove it from the lanyard as needed.
You DO NOT need to complete every challenge to receive your cup. You can complete each of them as many times as you like.
The challenge runs:
- Go with the flow
Go out for a run with no plan in mind and run for as long and as far as you feel like. Tell us about it in our group afterwards.
- Be thoughtful of those downstream
Encourage someone. It could be a fellow runner but it doesn’t need to be. Offer some kind words, or do something kind for someone. This doesn’t need to be running related.
- Slow down and meander
Go for a walk or jog in your favourite place.
- Follow the path of least resistance for rapid success
Avoid hills and do a nice flat run or walk.
- Immerse yourself in nature, trickling streams, roaring waterfalls, sparkles of light dancing on water
Run or Walk in Nature. Run or walk by water. Can you find a stream? A waterfall? Sparkles of light on water? Post your photos.
- Delight in life’s adventures around every bend
Run an entirely new route and delight in the adventure.
- Let difficulties stream away
Had a rough day? Go for a walk or run to unwind.
- Live simply and gracefully in Your own True Nature moving, flowing, allowing, serene and on course
To run simply in your own true nature, we think you need to run without technology. No time pressure, no pacing, no keeping up with anyone, just run naturally at your own pace. You will need to map out a route beforehand so you can stay on course. As this is about your own true nature, if you love to run with music, please continue to do so.
- It takes time to carve the beauty of the canyon
Enjoy a long slow run or walk. Remember it takes time to carve beauty. This run is not about speed or pace. It’s about a longer more enjoyable activity.
- Rough waters become smooth
Run some intervals followed by a nice even paced cooldown. Your pace graph should resemble rough waters becoming smooth with peaks of speed followed by a slower pace. Repeat the interval as many times as you wish. Please refer to the example pace graph at the end of this document.
- Flow around the obstacles
Time is often one of our biggest obstacles. We want you to do something this month that you usually skip due to lack of time. Maybe it’s a strength session or a gym session. Maybe it’s a hobby that you enjoy that you have put aside for now. Perhaps it’s a trip to the hairdresser, or the beautician. It could even be a long overdue coffee or catch up with friends.
Please note this activity doesn’t need to çost money. It is about creating time for something that we enjoy doing.
- Stay current
Record one activity each week of the month
- The beauty is in the journey!
Take at least 12 photos this month and share them in our group. It could be one for each of the above tasks, or photos from where you have run or walked.
As previously mentioned, you do not need to complete every challenge to receive your ‘medal’.
Complete each challenge as many times as you wish.
Our supporting charity:
Our charity this month is Uniting for Jasmyn which is a fund that benefits River’s Gift.
While our water theme comes from ‘River’s Gift’ the actual cause behind the charity is funding research and awareness for SIDS. Liz from Uniting for Jasmyn Legacy Program shares her story below. We would like to issue a trigger warning for those who may have dealt with the loss of a child/infant.
Uniting for Jasmyn
Jasmyn was our little surprise princess, little sister to Natasha & Owen. She was so perfect and really made our family complete. We had the perfect pregnancy and she was born full term and healthy on the 17th January 2017. Jasmyn had so much personality from the moment she was born. Natasha and Owen were and are still very proud older siblings and love her so much.
On the 23rd of June 2017 we kissed our beautiful healthy 5 month and 1 week old baby girl good night with no idea that in the morning, 24th June 2017 our nightmare would begin as we would find that Jasmyn passed away in her sleep from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
SIDS claims the lives of approximately 100 babies a year in Australia alone. That is 100 families devastated by the loss of their precious baby, with no answers as to why.
SIDS can be defined as the unexplained death of a seemingly healthy baby less than 12 months of age and is still one of the largest causes of death within this age bracket. SIDS is currently undetectable and unpreventable.
Australia’s largest SIDS research funding organisation, River’s Gift, have come together with our family and formed the “Uniting for Jasmyn” legacy program. The program provides a pathway for our family, friends and business community to honour our little girl and fund world leading SIDS research.
To date, River’s Gift has raised over $1 million to fund world-leading SIDS research, safe sleep education and awareness. These funds have been raised over the past seven years, through corporate partnerships, major fundraising events, volunteer partnerships and donations.