Aoibhinn Raleigh: ‘Before Sole Mates I Couldn’t Run A Full 5K!’

Tell us a bit about Sole Mates, and what makes it different from other run clubs

The difference with Sole Mates is that it is a run club for everyone, for all levels. It’s really more about community than anything, and showing people how positive exercise is for your mental health. We have a range of people who are beginners to people running marathons. People come down every week and have something positive to do, they have a bit of craic, meet some new people and feel like they are part of something bigger. I like to keep it away from turning into this ‘really fast paced, everyone trying to win races’ vibe. That can scare people off at times. ‘It’s your pace or mine’ is what I always say.

What made you want to work with Benecol on this campaign?

The more I’ve gotten into running, the more I started to realise the importance of understanding your holistic health and health as a whole. You can go out and run everyday and eat your vegetables and look really fit, but you need to have a deep understanding of what’s going on inside as well. My family have always had Benecol in the house (my dad drinks them all the time!) so it’s a product I have been very aware of since I was younger. High cholesterol runs in my family, so I am extra aware of it for that reason. As I’ve gone on this journey I’ve learned more and more about what’s going on internally, so I can make sure my insides are matching my outsides and that I’m practising what I preach.

 

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Running is such a good sport when it comes to your heart and heart health. If you are someone like me who is starting to run marathons, it’s so important to know what your heart health is like, so working with Benecol really lined up with my journey personally. I always try to be preventative as opposed to reactive. I know my cholesterol levels now, so I know that I’m safe, and ready to run a marathon.

What inspired you to get into running?

I quit drinking and I lost that social aspect with my friends. I knew that running was great for people’s mental health but that it also brought people together. At the time I was really lonely, I was looking to meet some likeminded people around Dublin or around Ireland. That’s where Sole Mates started. Back then I couldn’t actually run a full 5K! The first time we all went out I was taking breaks. The longer it went on the more I fell in love with it and now it’s turned into my whole coping mechanism. Anytime I’m sad I just go out and run. It’s such a positive sport and it’s very accessible.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into running?

I think people’s biggest downfall is that they try to start running and they run too fast, which was something I struggled with a lot. You’re seeing people online who are running 5k in 20 minutes, and you’re like ‘okay that’s the norm and I need to be able to do that’ – but you don’t. I always tell people: run for a time instead of a distance. Start by saying ‘I am going to run for 10 minutes today’ and keep it at a pace you can consistently run for without stopping, and then build it up over time. The next thing I say is: run with people. It doesn’t have to be with a running club, it can be with a friend. They’ll distract you, otherwise you’ll just be looking at your watch thinking ‘how has it not been a kilometre yet?!’

 

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How do you include Benecol in your daily routine?

I am a morning gal! I like to do all my vitamins and everything first thing, so it’s just part of my breakfast routine. I always say it takes six weeks of doing something regularly for it to become a habit, so Benecol is just built into my routine now. They are super convenient.

Do you have any pre or post run rituals?

If there’s a day when I don’t want to go for a run, I try to break it sections of 5 seconds, so I only think about the next 5 seconds. 5 seconds put socks on, 5 seconds to put shoes on, 5 seconds to get out the door and then you’re running. I have anxiety, so a lot of the time I used to be sitting on the couch not able to leave the house, so that 5 second rule really help me. Post-run I like to get a coconut flat white – 99% of the time that’s what I’m doing after I go for a run!

Heart-loving food brand Benecol®is cutting through the noise this World Heart Day with its new ‘Let’s Talk Numbers’ campaign. In a world where fitness trackers and apps leave one in three people feeling overwhelmed, the campaign strips it back to one number that really matters: your cholesterol. Incorporating Benecol® into a healthy diet can lower cholesterol by 7-10% within just three weeks. The full range of Benecol® products, spreads, drinks and yoghurts, are available in all major Irish retailers (Dunnes, Supervalu, Tesco).