Thanks to all who sent in pictures of The Daily Mile in action for Halloween!

Some very scary looking runners!

A fantastic video from St Mary’s NS Stranorlar, Ballybofey, Co.Donegal showcasing The Daily Mile & the benefits for children & teachers! The Daily Mile is in action every day and both children & teachers love doing it. Well done to all involved in keeping the momentum going. Please click link below to view video.

St Mary’s N.S.

Frank Greally from The Daily Mile was in St Daigh’s NS Inniskeen to celebrate the birthday of the late poet Patrick Kavanagh – the famous son of Inniskeen might inspire children to do The Daily Mile! It was a great day up there and a huge thanks to all involved and well done with The Daily Mile! Keep up the great work!

⚠️Fighting Against Physical Inactivity⚠️

Professor Niall Moyna, Clinical Exercise Physiologist tells us that if current trends continue, that this generation will be the first in history not to outlive their parents.

Help us reverse this trend and ensure that you children are engaged in daily physical activity 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

I was delighted to be asked by Frank Greally to give my perspective on The Daily Mile program, which is now running (pun intended!) in so many schools across Ireland.

The program was founded in 2012 in Scotland by primary school teacher Elaine Wyllie, based on the simple idea that children who got some exercise during their school day came back to their desks full of energy and well able for a productive afternoon of study. Teachers noticed that the physical exercise during the day didn’t just make the children physically fitter, but also mentally fitter.  As a mother of two children who enjoy and benefit from sports, this is not news to me! I know that even as little as 15 minutes walking or running outside every day is highly beneficial for children, and my own children are in better form when they’ve had an active day running around in the fresh air.

Nowadays, children tend to gravitate towards electronic games and devices, and are more sedentary than my generation would have been at the same age. It’s our job as parents to steer them towards the activities that are better for them while they are at home – and I am delighted that The Daily Mile is reinforcing the need for physical exercise during the school day.

As a child and teenager, and before the trophies and medals came along – I ran for the sheer joy of it. Most children do! When I got older, I developed the discipline and the ambition to be a better runner, and I developed the habit of regular exercise and healthy eating. I was often in training for one race or another, of course….but even when I was not in the build-up to a race, I stuck with my regular routine. Believe it or not, I still do. The habits I formed in my early years have stuck with me for my whole life. I still eat a very healthy diet, and I still run my own Daily Mile or two every day! I am so hopeful that The Daily Mile will create a new generation of young people who love to run, and who don’t grow out of it as they get older. I want to see these Daily Milers grow up to consider exercise just another part of what they do every day – as necessary and commonplace as brushing their teeth.

I think that The Daily Mile is a brilliant initiative, and I will continue to do whatever I can to support it. In my own work as a coach, I am encouraging the same healthy habits and behaviours in the adults I train. It’s never too late to get better than you are, and it’s never too late to develop healthy habits. You can walk or you can run – but regardless of your age, you can make The Daily Mile a part of your life too.

1. How long has your school been participating in The Daily Mile?

In Scoil Mhuire Gan Smál we have been participating in The Daily Mile for just over a year.

2. What are the three main benefits of The Daily Mile that you have observed?

The Daily Mile helps improve students’ fitness levels within a matter of weeks. It also benefits students’ well-being as pupils spend time exercising with their friends in a fun, non-competitive, social environment. The Daily Mile benefits academic achievement in the classroom as students return energised and more receptive to learning.

3. What kind of feedback do you get from children participating in The Daily Mile?

Students love doing The Daily Mile. Most love the opportunity of getting out in the fresh air for a run during the school day and catching up with their friends in a fun and non-competitive setting. Others like to challenge themselves and push the pace from time to time. It benefits everyone.

4. Have you had much reaction from parents?

The feedback from parents has been very positive and they have been very supportive of us incorporating The Daily Mile into our school schedule. Many parents and students are now running together at weekends as students are keen to keep up their daily running routine at home. This in particular has been an unexpected benefit of signing up to The Daily Mile in our school.

5. As a former National Marathon Champion, what are your own earliest memories of running?

I’m from Kilkishen, a small village in east Clare. My earliest running memories are of competing in The Community Games trials in our parish field.  For all of us in the village, these races were our mini-Olympics and it wasn’t until I was a little older and had joined Marian Athletic Club that I eventually made it to the county and national Community Games finals.

6. What was your experience of exercise and sport during your Primary School days?

I loved PE and took part in all sports growing up, from soccer and handball to hurling and gaelic football. Looking back I now know how lucky I was growing up in Kilkishen having all these sports to take part in and I’m thankful to the teachers, parents and coaches who gave up so much of their time for us back then. My parents were keen sportspeople and they set a very good example for us too.

7. How has your school supported The Daily Mile?

Last year we launched The Daily Mile at our September assembly to mark the beginning of The European Week of Sport. Since then things have gone from strength to strength. We have two mini-running tracks marked out on our school yard and the older students complete The Daily Mile on the parish Rosary Walkway. Many teachers join their students in completing The Daily Mile and we also have parents and teachers running clubs in our school. Several of our parents and teachers have signed up to this year’s Dublin Marathon.

8. Do you have any advice to Principals/teachers of schools thinking of signing up?

Any school, big or small, can do The Daily Mile. It is very easy to get up and running and it can be easily incorporated into the school day. The Daily Mile is teacher and school friendly and it is free to do. All the resources and information needed to get The Daily Mile up and running are on the website [www.thedailymile.ie]. I would love to see schools all over Ireland benefiting from this fantastic initiative as we have done this past year.

9. What are your three wishes for the remainder of 2019?

My wife and I are expecting our firstborn later this year. My only wish is for a healthy and happy rest of 2019 for us all.

10. Complete the sentence “I run because….”

“…it makes me happy, it keeps me healthy and I love challenging the limits of what I can do.”