On a very cold Saturday in January I ran a 10mile off-road race called HellRunner. The course took us up and down steep slopes, across sand, through bogs, and into several streams and rivers - one so deep that I could not touch the bottom and had to swim!

At the end of the course I was soaked, filthy, frozen and my knee was bleeding where I had fallen.

I found myself asking why I'd signed up - and even paid for the privilege...well:

I got a T-shirt
I received a medal
I am middle aged and need to prove I can still do these things
I had a laugh with the three other team members
I made memories I will never forget

My hell running was a choice. Yours might not be.

Maybe your 2016 has not started well. Perhaps your health has taken a turn for the worse, your job has suddenly stopped, or a relationship has cruelly ended.

Let me share two lessons I learned from the race:

1 Keep on going

When things get hard it's tempting to give up, but the best runners just keep those legs moving.

Keep on going - you will make it in the end.

2 Share the load

Life - even brutally tough life - is more bearable with friends. You shouldn't struggle alone, and you don't need to struggle alone.

As an Ealing resident I so appreciate the friendship and support that I get from Redeemer that encourages me to keep going.

Why not find someone to share the load with this week? Feel free to show up and share your story on a Sunday morning, or sign up for a Meetup before the signup window closes.