“My coach said I ran like a girl, and I said if he ran a little faster, he could too”. Mia Hamm

I have been a running enthusiast for over 35 years, commencing when I was 17 and I suspect like many young women, missed the organisation of sport that school so readily provided me. My running has geared up to half-marathons and one marathon in my twenties but to be honest, I think my running these days could be better described as more of a ‘plod’ and I am often just happy to be outside and getting some exercise.

The eagerness and spirit of our girls to participate in the Inter House Cross Country this week, in both Barbreck and the Senior School, was clearly evident. There was the shared joy of cheering for mates and our outstanding House Captains created some friendly rivalry by painting tribal stripes on the cheeks of eager younger girls, keen to be part of the crowd.

Of course, we were also in awe of watching our top runners effortlessly glide around Kooyong Park. My congratulations to our Junior Flyer, Emma Peele (Year 7) and Blue-Ribbon (fastest time on the day), Matisse Stafford (Year 11). House Holmes-Kilbride was victorious in the Senior School and Davis House won the Barbreck competition.

My running has also been a means to process the events of a week and to generate exciting and creative new ideas. I have also explored the world through my running, vowing to run in every place I am fortunate to stay in. My favourites include a memorable snowy run in minus 4 degrees in Central Park, New York, a ‘dodging and weaving’ dash through the many 6am Tai Chi classes occurring along the foreshore of West Lake in Hangzhou, China and a very hot and humid run through the temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Closer to home, I love the Noosa Headland track and the run up to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair, near Sydney’s Botanic Gardens.

Naturally, I hope Cross Country events like the Inter-House held this week at School, may spark a lifetime of running. The health benefits are numerous and well-established. Most notably, improved cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol, sounder sleep, sharper concentration, an endorphin-mediated boost in mental health, and increased longevity. As a weight-bearing sport, running also helps maintain muscle mass and bone density as people age, and there are studies that suggest that the benefits of running are also available to those who begin jogging later in life—even after age 50. The moral? As Nike says, “Just do it!”

Barbreck HPE teacher and Sport Coordinator, Mr Tom Crebbin, shared with me that he meticulously keeps a black book diary of every kilometre he runs, every year. He has been wonderful at encouraging Barbreck girls for years to run in the ever-popular Junior Joggers program where many former students hold fond childhood memories of their first real sporting endeavour.

Tom’s diaries date back from 1988 to the present day and he has logged how many kilometres he has run, swum, ridden and paddled, including the numbers of days involved in Cross Country Skiing. While he admits to a decline in the running distance over the years, he completed his best ever bike ride this year totalling 29,000kms. Some years his level of swimming was high although sometimes limited due to injuries and operations. As a sports enthusiast, Tom maintains his level of fitness with some form of exercise on a daily basis.

This year, we welcome the return of Athletics and Cross-Country Coach, Mr Lloyd Knight who, together with Mathematics teacher, former 10,000m and Marathon Olympian, Ms Susan Hobson, provide a superb training program for our students.

Undoubtedly, strong Rowing programs are built on the foundation of good running programs and this week, I congratulate our Senior VIII crews who were crowned State School Girl Champions at Nagambie on Saturday. The Fearless Girl (aka The Ferg) won convincingly in the Final of Division One and the St Catherine’s 120 (aka The Scotty) finished a very credible third place in Division 2.

We look forward to the annual Head of the School Girls Regatta on the Barwon River at Geelong next weekend. I encourage the rowers to anticipate the busyness of their schedules in the coming week and urge some effective use of the three-day long weekend to ensure they commence the week academically ready.