What Is It All About?

My name is Gayle Tait. I’m a 44 Year old Scottish Ultra Running Mum of Two. I’ve been running for 16 years and running ultra distance for 6 years. I was diagnosed with an irreversible knee condition in 2018 which has forced me to think very carefully about my running and how that might progress in the coming years. I am not ‘defying the odds’ by continuing to run. I am running on borrowed time. But, I am living in the moment and doing what I love to do – running, spending time in the mountains and being outdoors.

Also in 2018, I went ‘public’ in a few ways about my struggles with my Mental Health, specifically, Depression. Previous to this, those that didn’t know me thought that I was the happy runner portrayed in my Facebook or Instagram profile. The truth was different. The positive feedback I received about sharing my story was overwhelming. I am by no means the only person to open up on such matters, but it made me realise that it’s possible to make a difference to our own and others lives by being more honest and open about who we are and the difficulties we face. By doing so, we may inspire others to seek help.

My love of running and the outdoors is inextricably linked to maintaining good mental health. That is no coincidence, and I’m not alone in that assertion. The positive mental health gains from exercise and the outdoors are now well documented and evidenced. If I can share and explore the positive contribution that running makes to my mental health, perhaps it can inspire others to get out there and do the same.

It often takes me an inordinate amount of time to muster enough mental energy to do certain things. This blog is one of them. It has been in my thoughts for a number of years, but more so since 2018. I have many thoughts. Good thoughts and deeply dark and depressive thoughts. I run with them, I run through them. Often right out the other side of them. Sometimes I take action as a result. Sometimes I don’t.

I am nothing if not honest.

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